London Underground

Let us be accurate. The arbitrator split the costs, although I agree that he moved the balance of the costs towards Metronet. Metronet claimed £992 million; his view was that an efficient company might have required between £140 million and £470 million. The version of the truth that the hon. Gentleman has just given is not entirely accurate either. There was a splitting of the responsibility and the blame, and it seems to me that Transport for London was happy to play Russian roulette with taxpayers' money. It knew that if the arbitrator did not support its position, Metronet would not bear the costs and the taxpayer would. It is the fault of Transport for London, the Mayor and Metronet that an extraordinary review did not take place earlier. Transport for London and the Mayor can also be blamed for stating that there was no room for negotiation and no chance of a negotiated settlement. It is clear that the extraordinary review, had it occurred earlier, would have involved less cost to Londoners and to the overall public purse.