Carillion crisis

THE priority must be saving the services delivered by troubled contractor Carillion and the jobs of its blameless workforce.

However not a penny of taxpayers’ money should go to the bosses and speculators responsible for the firm’s threatened collapse.

This is a sorry tale of appalling errors by a firm which over-reached itself. Hit by payment delays for projects in the Middle East, last year it issued three profit warnings in five months.

With luck Carillion will re-finance itself and survive but if not the Government should do the work itself, employing the workers and delivering vital services.