If this week’s rail strikes were called off, someone forgot to tell the train companies. Instead, the unions have secured seven days of chaos for the price of one.
Having cancelled industrial action late last Friday, the RMT still sparked days of disruption, with some rail operators even urging passengers not to travel. All this before Thursday’s Tube strike, which is set to last into the following morning to cap off a ghastly week for Londoners. There have even been accusations of price gouging, as some commuters seem to be asked to pay higher prices for patchier services.
Clearly, the unions must take a large share of the blame for the problems but rail companies need to get a grip. Passengers might understand a day of interruption following aborted strikes, and the rail timetable is a complex beast. But four days on, to still have widespread turmoil is simply unacceptable.
How is London supposed to function and businesses trade when the trains stop and footfall vanishes, all without a strike even having taken place?
Williamson’s woes
Is Sir Gavin Williamson worth the trouble? The Cabinet Office minister — fresh off the leaking of controversial texts he sent to former chief whip Wendy Morton — is now facing allegations, which he denies, that he told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” and “jump out of the window” while he was defence secretary.
Sir Gavin does not have a large personal following in the country. Many voters instead recall his unsuccessful stint as education secretary, or his urging of Russia to “go away” and “shut up” following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in 2018. Nor is he widely popular within the Conservative parliamentary party. Other divisive figures, such as Home Secretary Suella Braverman, can at least point to a factional power base as a reason to be kept onside.
Sir Gavin is a supporter of the Prime Minister. Nevertheless, Sunak — like several of his predecessors — will have to weigh up whether the minister is a net positive for the Government.
Our help for young
Covid sometimes seems like a lifetime ago but its consequences are still very much with us, not least for younger people. A landmark report today warns that many find themselves in the midst of a growing mental health emergency, “paralysed” by anxiety and with self-belief at an all-time low. These are the stark findings from the Youth Voice Census 2022, an annual survey of young people.
This is what the Evening Standard’s Step Up initiative aims to counter. We want to help the next generation of Londoners handle the challenges they face, to inspire and guide them through their educational and career choices.
To that end, we have today launched a new online educational channel on the Standard website. Meanwhile, a Step Up Expo at London Olympia in February will provide parents and young people with the opportunity to receive advice from experts on applications to school, college and university, as well as training and apprenticeships.
After the learning loss and missed social opportunities wrought by the pandemic, young people need help and guidance more than ever to rebuild their confidence.
