'Major failures' over rail deal
A committee of MPs has slammed the Department for Transport for being "irresponsible" in its role in the collapse of the £5 billion West Coast Mainline rail contract.
Ministers 'lied to' over west coast rail deal
In its report on the west coast mainline fiasco, the Transport Committee has said embarking on the reform of franchising on the UK's most complex piece of railway was "irresponsible" and needed greater senior executive involvement and more technical expertise.
"A more direct description of what happened is that ministers and senior officials were lied to about how the outcome of the franchise competition had been reached." said the MPs' report.
"We cannot categorically rule out the possibility that officials manipulated the outcome of the competition not only to keep First Group in the running for as long as possible, as Mr Laidlaw suggested, but to ensure that First got the contract."
More top news
-
Joe Biden vows to fight racial inequality with economic agenda
The Democratic presidential candidate may also have shown his cards on his choice of running mate.
-
Trump reverts to promoting unproven drug as coronavirus treatment
The US president also shared a post on Twitter accusing Dr Anthony Fauci of misleading the public over hydroxychloroquine.
-
What the papers say – July 29
Fears over an impending second wave of coronavirus dominates Wednesday’s front pages.