‘Failing’ Grayling caught out again

TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling ordered officials to hold off on announcing delays to a major rail project so he could avoid criticism from MPs, it has been revealed.

Network Rail bosses informed him last year that a multi-million pound electrification scheme would not be completed on time.

And leaked emails suggest the Tory minister – nicknamed Failing Grayling after a run of bungled policies – wanted to delay the announcement by 24 hours to dodge a grilling from Labour MPs in the House of Commons.

The emails, uncovered by the Yorkshire Post, show a discussion between senior rail officials on January 9 last year about delays to upgrading the line between Preston and Manchester.

In one, Martin Frobisher, of Network Rail, said he had spoken to Department for Transport officials and described how Mr Grayling wanted the news handled.

He wrote: ‘He doesn’t want a big press release or media event. He wants us to directly brief selected journalists. He wants us to control the story.’ A reply from a senior department official said Mr Grayling ‘would prefer the announcement were sooner rather than later but not before the Opposition Day debate on rail tomorrow’.

The official suggested the announcement was ‘best choreographed’ for January 11. On January 10, Labour held a Commons debate about rail franchising where there was no mention of the delay.

The announcement was then made the next day, as Network Rail blamed ‘poor ground conditions’ for pushing the completion of the project from May to summer 2018.

The delay caused chaos last May as rail operator Northern was forced to rewrite its timetable at short notice.

Labour’s transport spokesman Andy McDonald said: ‘These emails reveal the depth of the Transport Secretary’s contempt for the House of Commons.

‘Grayling denied MPs of all parties full information... ahead of an important parliamentary debate.’