Starmer’s rail plans ‘will aid Khan in his war on the suburbs’

SIR Keir Starmer’s rail plans will assist Sadiq Khan’s “war on the suburbs”, government sources have warned.

The Labour leader is accused of “aiding and abetting” the London mayor to expand his “fiefdom” by increasing his powers over the train network in commuter belt areas.

Mr Khan was re-elected for a third term as mayor, but his popularity in inner-London areas far outstripped that in suburban areas. His average point change increased by 7.2 percentage points in inner London, compared with 1.1 percentage points in outer London.

It is thought that policies such as expanding the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) are to blame for Mr Khan’s drop in appeal on the outskirts of the capital.

Under Labour’s plan for railways, mayors and other devolved leaders will be given a statutory role in the rail network, with expanded powers in “governing, managing, planning and developing the rail network”.

Their proposals state that: “For the first time, therefore, devolved leaders in Scotland, Wales, and in mayoral combined authorities will have a statutory role in the rail network.

“National and regional transport bodies will have the ability to agree national and regional rail services with the unified rail body, enabling devolved leaders to develop ambitious plans for seamless, integrated transport networks and a public transport system that properly serves their local areas.”

Mayors will have a role in discussions about rail timetables and route planning as well as setting fares, under Labour’s plans to renationalise the railways where all decisions will ultimately be made by a new public sector body called Great British Railways.

Mr Khan already controls the Transport for London network but he would have a “statutory” position in the broader rail network which includes commuter trains going in and out of London. City Hall said he would focus his attention on rail services which serve Greater London.

“It begs the question – where will his fiefdom end?” a government source said. “Rail lines don’t just stop on the borders of the GLA [Greater London Authority].

“Labour plans would aid and abet Sadiq Khan’s war on the suburbs and the places just outside London who did not vote for him.

“This risks a fundamental democratic deficit for people who live in Kent and Surrey and all other places around London who will have the decisions of a mayor – who they cannot vote for – impacting on their lives.

A spokesman for the mayor said: “The mayor thinks Londoners and commuters who travel to work in the capital deserve better. That’s why he’s calling for rail devolution to TfL of certain lines, prioritising services that run largely within Greater London.”