London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jan 30, 2026

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
AstraZeneca Announces £11bn China Investment After Scaling Back UK Expansion Plans
Starmer and Xi Forge Warming UK-China Ties in Beijing Amid Strategic Reset
Tech Market Shifts and AI Investment Surge Drive Global Innovation and Layoffs
Markets Jolt as AI Spending, US Policy Shifts, and Global Security Moves Drive New Volatility
U.S. Signals Potential Decertification of Canadian Aircraft as Bilateral Tensions Escalate
Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery
Tesla Ends Model S and X Production and Sends $2 Billion to xAI as 2025 Revenue Declines
China Executes 11 Members of the Ming Clan in Cross-Border Scam Case Linked to Myanmar’s Lawkai
Trump Administration Officials Held Talks With Group Advocating Alberta’s Independence
Starmer Signals UK Push for a More ‘Sophisticated’ Relationship With China in Talks With Xi
Shopping Chatbots Move From Advice to Checkout as Walmart Pushes Faster Than Amazon
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
Starmer Says China Visit Will Deliver Economic Benefits as He Prepares to Meet Xi Jinping
UK Prime Minister Starmer Arrives in China to Bolster Trade and Warn Firms of Strategic Opportunities
The AI Hiring Doom Loop — Algorithmic Recruiting Filters Out Top Talent and Rewards Average or Fake Candidates
Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs After Earlier 14,000 Reduction, Citing Streamlining and AI Investment
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Powell Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation During 2026 Decision
Putin’s Four-Year Ukraine Invasion Cost: Russia’s Mass Casualty Attrition and the Donbas Security-Guarantee Tradeoff
Wall Street Bets on Strong US Growth and Currency Moves as Dollar Slips After Trump Comments
UK Prime Minister Traveled to China Using Temporary Phones and Laptops to Limit Espionage Risks
Google’s $68 Million Voice Assistant Settlement Exposes Incentives That Reward Over-Collection
Kim Kardashian Admits Faking Paparazzi Visit to Britney Spears for Fame in Early 2000s
UPS to Cut 30,000 More Jobs by 2026 Amid Shift to High-Margin Deliveries
France Plans to Replace Teams and Zoom Across Government With Homegrown Visio by 2027
Trump Removes Minneapolis Deportation Operation Commander After Fatal Shooting of Protester
Iran’s Elite Wealth Abroad and Sanctions Leakage: How Offshore Luxury Sustains Regime Resilience
U.S. Central Command Announces Regional Air Exercise as Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Footage
Four Arrested in Andhra Pradesh Over Alleged HIV-Contaminated Injection Attack on Doctor
Hot Drinks, Hidden Particles: How Disposable Cups Quietly Increase Microplastic Exposure
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
Michael Schumacher Shows Significant Improvement in Health Status
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
×