VILLIERS SPEAKS OUT IN PARLIAMENT ON DISRUPTION OF BARNET RAIL SERVICES

Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, today used the despatch box in the House of Commons to express her anger and concern about the massive disruption to local rail services that has occurred over the last seven days. All trains on the Great Northern Line through her Chipping Barnet constituency (via New Barnet and Oakleigh Park stations) were cancelled on Sunday. Services elsewhere in the borough were severely disrupted yesterday and today, with 50% of trains cancelled on the Thameslink line.

In an emergency procedure, rail ministers were summoned to the House of Commons by the Speaker to answer questions on the crisis. Following the debate, Theresa said:

“In Parliament today, I expressed my anger at the unacceptable disruption to local rail services in Barnet on Remembrance Sunday.

I demanded answers from the rail minister about what he was going to do to stop the unions from continuing with this damaging action.

It is simply not credible for the rail unions to deny responsibility for this action, which is clearly being concerted and coordinated. I believe that it is deeply irresponsible for the unions to use passenger misery as a bargaining chip in their pay negotiations.

In the dying days of the last Labour Government, the unions brought the country to a halt. Today I called on the Government to stand up to the unions in order to stop them from winding back the clock to the 1970s and inflicting more strike misery on commuters.”

During the exchange in Parliament, MPs also raised concerns about Labour’s financial dependence on the unions and how that will impact on their ability to deal with irresponsible industrial action.