London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

TfL: Sadiq Khan warns Tube and bus cuts are imminent

TfL: Sadiq Khan warns Tube and bus cuts are imminent

Sadiq Khan has warned cuts to Tube and bus services in the capital are imminent after the government said it would halt Transport for London's (TfL) long-term funding deal.

Grant Shapps says the government has agreed to extend TfL's current emergency agreement until 13 July.

The emergency funding deal was due to run out on Friday.

But Mr Shapps said in a letter no more long-term funding would be given unless its relationship with TfL was "reset".

Mr Khan said: "TfL have been left with no choice but to begin imminent preparations for a managed decline scenario which will mean further cuts to services.

"Time is running out and that is why I am once again urging the government to meet with me so that we can finally agree a sustainable, long-term funding deal that will protect not only London's economic recovery, but that of the whole country."

The Department for Transport (DfT) has provided close to £5bn in emergency funds since May 2020 due to Covid-19.

A spokesman accused the Mayor of "burying his head in the sand".

Income for the London transport network, mainly from fares, plummeted during the first and second waves of the pandemic.

A bailout was first agreed with the government in May 2020 and has been extended by differing lengths of time ever since.

Under the terms of the last deal set out in March - and due to run out on Friday - TfL must find £400m of savings in 2022/23.

Mr Khan previously warned that a lack of long-term funding meant an entire Tube line could close and bus services could be cut by a fifth.


But, in a letter addressed to the Mayor of London, Mr Shapps said cutting services should be Mr Khan's "last resort" and not his first.

"In short, the new cuts are not necessary and will not save much money," he wrote.

"They have been artificially created by you as a political weapon in your campaign for a long-term capital funding deal.

"But, bus operations have little or nothing to do with capital funding - they are supported by revenue subsidy, which the government has provided throughout the pandemic and which it will continue to provide."

Grant Shapps said Sadiq Khan's claim that London's transport network was being "levelled down" was hard to reconcile


Mr Shapps said TfL's income, including fares, council tax, business rates, ULEZ road charges and the DfT's emergency revenue, was about the same as before the pandemic.

"In other words, there is, and will be, more than enough money to maintain services," he said.

City Hall has already warned that a failure to secure long-term funding could lead to service cuts and the deterioration of the transport network.

TfL is currently holding a public consultation on cuts to London's bus services, which could result in 16 routes being axed entirely and 78 routes being amended.

TfL's latest funding deal was due to run out on Friday but has been extended until 13 July


Analysis


By BBC London's transport correspondent Tom Edwards

Sadiq Khan has said for many months that without long-term funding at TfL there would be serious cuts to services - the government quite clearly think this does not need to be the case.

The letter to the Mayor of London arguably marks a new low point in the relationship between the Labour Mayor and the Conservative Transport Secretary.

These funding negotiations are always quite fractious but the language in the letter is particularly forthright.

The phrase that stood out was a "reset of the relationship is needed", while the letter also highlights the tricky pensions issue - the cause of recent strikes - it looks like that isn't going away.

Someone once said to me that transport and politics are never far apart - this row emphasises that truth.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×