South Western Railway, the first train operator renationalised back in May 2025, paid out a whopping £8.25 million in Delay Repay compensation last year, with about a third of its trains running late. Campaigners reckon the real cost, with taxis and hotels for stranded passengers included, is closer to £15 million. Under Burnham’s nationalisation drive, more of these costs will land with the taxpayer…
Telegraph travel correspondent Simon Calder told the BBC the government “may possibly come to regret” its promises, since “simply bringing it into public ownership does not mean that we’re suddenly going to discover that all the trains to and from London Waterloo run on time.” The DfT maintains that cancellations are down and this is all apparently “benefitting passengers”. An onslaught of Delay Repay compensation bills are now heading directly for your wallet…
Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked John Healey: “Just finally, I mean Andy Burnham has been very clear he wants Britain back in the European Union in his lifetime. Do you?”
The Chancellor replied: “I’m older than Andy Burnham. I don’t expect to see that.”