Boris Johnson returns to work amid 'night tube' deadlock

Boris Johnson has returned from holiday and today was our first opportunity to interview him since the launch of 24 hour services on the Underground were suspended.

The 'Night tube' was set to start on 12th September, but four transport unions and their members remain concerned over shift patterns, pay, work life balance and the viability of running the service.

Last week, in the Mayor's absence, London Underground and the transport Unions came to an agreement, of sorts, to postpone the launch "until the Autumn".

The RMT has been blunt in it's assertion that negotiations with TFL have been considerably easier since Mr Johnson has been away - I started by asking for his reaction to that:

Last week's postponement shows how much power the trade Unions still have over TFL. At the heart of the dispute, they say, has been a lack of proper consultation over new services.

I asked Steve Hedley of the RMT whether it was a case of TFL backing down:

A direct consequence, he says, of the Mayor of London not being involved in last week's negotiations.

This on-going deadlock looks set to continue to have consequences on the lives of Londoners. Industrial action is still being planned between next Tuesday 8th and Thursday 12th of September. Something which yesterday prompted the Football Association to suspend ticket sales for the England qualifier against Switzerland. In order, it says, to allow "transport providers to ensure they can manage current ticket holders' journey to the stadium on the night of the game."

The result will mean 35 thousand unsold tickets - and a half empty Wembley stadium.

All eyes will now be on the Mayor, who continues to take centre stage in a dispute which rumbles on.