Steve Beasant

  “Executives, unions and politicians need to start acting like grown ups and get this sorted before the public declares a plague on all their houses,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker. 

  Commenting on railway workers voting in favour of strike action, Norman Baker said: “In all the political mudslinging over who is to blame for strike action by BA or railway workers, it is the passengers who are suffering the most.

“There is no need for any of these strikes to go ahead. Management at British Airways and Network Rail need to get back round the table with the unions to sort this mess out before people’s holiday, business and travel plans are ruined for no good reason.

“There is far too much macho posturing and cheap political point scoring going on all sides of these disputes. Enough is enough. Executives, unions and politicians need to start acting like grown ups and get this sorted before the public declares a plague on all their houses.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker has taken on Prime Minister, Gordon Brown in the House of Commons over the rising cost of train fares.

Norman Baker quizzed the PM over the fact that Labour have allowed the cost of motoring to decrease while the price of most rail fares have skyrocketed. Norman Baker called upon the Prime Minister to end Labour’s policy under which most fares rise by 1% above inflation every year. 

On the floor of the Commons, Mr Baker challenged the Prime Minister: “It is unfair on rail passengers and contrary to the Government’s carbon reduction strategy that, since 1997, the cost of motoring has decreased by 14 per cent while the cost of rail fares has gone up in real terms by 13 per cent. 

“Given that a large reason for this is the Government’s policy of forcing up rail fares by 1 per cent above inflation every single year, will the Prime Minister now give the House and the country an assurance that, if a Labour Government are re-elected, they will end their RPI plus 1 policy and their train fare escalator?” 

The Prime Minister entirely ducked the question about rail fares, stating only: “I believe that passengers welcome the fact not only that we have better services but that trains arrive on time. It is important to recognise the huge investment that this Government have made in the railways of this country.” 

Norman Baker later commented: “It is high time the government re-evaluated this unfair policy. My constituents are fed up with seeing rail fares go up above inflation year after year. 

“We need to encourage people to use the railways, especially as the transport sector is the only one where carbon emissions are increasing, but rip-off fares will not give people a reason to travel by rail. 

“It is clear that Labour is not willing to recognise that there is a problem, but the Lib Dems are committed to a fairer deal for the passenger.”

Speaking earlier tonight on the BBC News, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said that it “should be possible to reach an agreement and it is sheer bloody-mindedness that we’re not there yet”.

The situation was complicated due to the relationship between Unite and the Labour party, Norman Baker suggested.

“Of course, Unite bankrolls the Labour party the same way that Ashcroft bankrolls the Conservative party. When push comes to shove the government will do nothing to threaten that relationship.”

Norman Baker said that both BA and Unite should sit down at the negotiating table and agree to postpone the strike for a “considerable time.”

The Government is now embroiled in a damaging row with the country’s biggest union tonight after a cabinet minister launched an extraordinary attack against a planned strike by British Airways cabin crew.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said the planned seven days of industrial action could put the future of the airline at risk, calling the walkouts “totally unjustified.”

Unite hit back at the minister, saying he was “badly informed” about the long-running dispute, adding that he should be urging the airline to reinstate an offer it withdrew last week.

It is understood that the union has made representations to 10 Downing Street about the minister’s intervention, and it is now expected that the Prime Minister will directly intervene.

Lord Adonis appealed to Unite to return to the negotiating table in an attempt to avert the industrial action planned to begin with a three day strike from next Saturday, followed by a four day stoppage from the following weekend.

Lord Adonis told BBC1’s Andrew Marr show: “The impact this will have will not only be deeply damaging on passengers, it will … threaten the very existence of British Airways.

“The stakes are incredibly high in this strike. I absolutely deplore the strike, it is not only the damage it is going to do passengers and the inconvenience it’s going to cause - which is quite disproportionate to the issues at stake - but also the threat it poses to the future of one of our great companies in this country.

“It’s totally unjustified, the strike, on the merits of the issues at stake. I do call on the union to engage constructively with the company at this late stage.”

A Unite spokesman said: “Lord Adonis appears badly informed. We all want to avoid strike action and Unite is always ready to negotiate. Unite was preparing to put BA’s offer to our members. Had they accepted it, there would be no strikes.

“However, the company withdrew that offer on Friday without explanation. Lord Adonis should publicly urge management to put that offer back on the table.”

Unite is a major Labour Party donor and critics have claimed the Government is unwilling to condemn the union’s actions.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: “BA and the Unite union are behaving like spoilt children in the playground and as usual it is innocent passengers who will suffer. They should call off their strike immediately and find some other way to make their point.

“The fact this strike is due to occur at roughly the same time as the Network Rail dispute looks suspiciously like co-ordinated union action. The unions are trying their best to wind the clock back to the 1970s and create a Spring of Discontent.

“The consequences for the Labour Party will be the same as they were in 1979.”

Speaking on the Today Progamme, BBC Radio 4, earlier this morning the Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker attacked the Tories’ response to the government’s plans for a high-speed rail link as “ludicrous”. 

The Conservatives, who have refused an invitation from the government to see the plans ahead of their announcement, disagree with the government over where the link should run. 

Norman Baker said the Conservatives were “putting short-term politics ahead of the long-term interest of the country.”

  I welcome the report released by residents group HACAN in which it outlines real steps to curb the problem with noise near Heathrow,” said the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Heathrow Expansion, Susan Kramer. 

Commenting on a report released by resident group HACAN in which it outlines steps to combat the noise pollution residents who live near Heathrow face, Susan Kramer said: “I welcome the report released by residents group HACAN in which it outlines real steps to curb the problem with noise near Heathrow.

“In comparison, the Government is obsessed with stretching the tentacles of Heathrow no matter how it affects local people.

“It is high time that the Government started listening to the people really affect by Heathrow noise pollution instead of living in a bubble of ignorance.”

  Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, Greg Mulholland recently met with Secretary of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis to press the case for a High Speed rail link to Yorkshire. 

  Greg has worked closely with the Yorkshire Post and prominent engineer Colin Elliff to make the economic case for a link between Yorkshire and London.  

Commenting Greg Mulholland said: “I was very pleased to be able to meet with Lord Adonis and push forward the debate on High Speed Rail and the importance of a link with Yorkshire as well as Mr Elliff’s own interesting High Speed North proposal. 

“It is important that the Government give the High Speed North proposal the attention it deserves before making a decision about whether to employ the High Speed 2 recommendations. 

“The most pressing issue is that any High Speed Rail network is introduced on the grounds of the strongest economic benefits that can be made from it. 

“For the best economic rewards to be reaped the network must include Yorkshire and Humber as well as other regions around the country who would best benefit from the link.”

“The Government’s case for a third runway at Heathrow has always been abysmal, ” said the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond, Susan Kramer. 

Commenting ahead of a High Court challenge from a coalition of London Councils, green groups and local residents against the Government’s decision to build a third runway at Heathrow, Susan Kramer, who leads the party’s campaign against a third runway said: “The Government’s case for a third runway at Heathrow has always been abysmal. It makes no economic sense and will cause untold environmental damage.

“Government plans for ‘green slots’ are nothing more than greenwash – residents, other airports and businesses deserve a new White Paper and a new consultation. 

“It shouldn’t take a High Court challenge for the Government to see sense and drop its disastrous expansion plan.”

Officials at the Ministry of Defence spent almost £16m on domestic flights last year, research by the Liberal Democrats reveals. 

MoD spending on internal flights was almost three times the total of 17 other Government departments combined, with over 175,000 internal flights booked during 2008-09.

Civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions were the next highest spenders, splashing out £2.97m on 25,860 domestic flights.

Overall, the research shows that 18 Government departments spent over £21.8m on more than 210,000 flights. The information was released in answer to Parliamentary Questions.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said: “Civil servants are spending staggering amounts of taxpayers’ cash flying around the UK.
 
“Ministers need to get a grip. Government staff should set an example, and use trains and video-conferencing more so they fly around the country less.

“The Civil Service Code needs to change so that environmental factors are considered when travel bookings are made.”

The Labour Government has allowed civil servants to make at least 210,000 domestic flights last year, and the Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary claimed that: “Ministers need to get a grip”.  

Government employees travelled an estimated 69million miles criss-crossing Britain – enough to circle the equator 3,000 times or 290 trips to the moon – at a cost to the taxpayer of £16million. 

The most frequent flyers were staff at the Ministry of Defence, who spent £6.5million last year on 175,342 internal commercial flights. They were closely followed by staff in charge of job centres and benefit payments to Britain’s poorest families.  

Yvette Cooper’s Department for Work and Pensions, which employs 111,000 staff, booked 25,860 flights ­at a cost of £3million. 

A department spokesman insisted every one of the flights, most of which were between London and Glasgow or Edinburgh, had been necessary. He said: “We have 85 locations around the country and we have significant numbers of people based in those offices.”  

“Flying with Ryanair or Easyjet is often cheaper than taking the train. The meetings are really necessary.” There is no requirement in the Civil Service Code to reduce carbon footprints when booking trips, but the spokesman claimed travel policy had changed last summer and been “tightened up”.  

He added: “Our preferred option is the train and that’s something we’re actively encouraging right across the civil service now. Britain has signed up to the Kyoto Protocol and the whole country has to reduce its carbon emissions.”

The figures were uncovered by the Liberal Democrats in a series of parliamentary questions.  

Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said: “Civil servants are spending staggering amounts of taxpayers’ cash flying around the UK. 

“Ministers need to get a grip. Government staff should set an example and use trains and video-conferencing more. The Civil Service Code needs to change so that environmental factors are considered when travel bookings are made.”