Gibb Debate

MPs in the House of Commons held a short debate over the recent Gibb report into Southern Railway ( RAIL 830). The report by Network Rail Director Chris Gibb had been written last December but was only published in June, after the General Election.

Conservative Chris Philp (Croydon South) said: “People have had to quit their jobs.” He said a constituent was sacked “because of consistent lateness due to the poor service.”

Fellow Conservative Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) said: “While the performance of Southern has gradually improved over the past year, the behavior of the unions has deteriorated, with the current industrial dispute being entirely irresponsible and cynical.”

Liberal Democrat Stephen Lloyd (Eastbourne) countered: “Mr Gibb apparently spoke with GTR over 30 times as he was putting together the report, and with Government agencies over 45 times. Guess how many times he spoke with the two unions? Zero. What’s going on here?”

Gavin Shuker (Labour Co-operative, Luton South) said: “It’s important to be aware of the fact that this is not a bug within the system - that the Secretary of State chooses not to take responsibility for the situation that we find - it’s a feature.”

Peter Kyle (Labour, Hove) questioned why there was a “leadership vacuum” for the rail network. He said: “There have been failures right across the board, and right now what passengers really need is for people in those positions just to get a grip without delay.”