Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin today admitted that he held himself responsible for the West Coast rail franchise fiasco, as he appeared in front of MPs to explain what had gone wrong. Describing the mistakes as ‘very regrettable and indeed very serious’, McLoughlin told the Transport Committee that both bidders and taxpayers have ‘a right to expect better’ from the department.
The initial findings of the Laidlaw Report, McLoughlin’s independent report into the fiasco, were released on Monday — findings which the Transport Committee Chair, Labour MP Louise Ellman, today described as ‘a damning indictment of the department.’ In the report, Laidlaw revealed that the DfT knew that the bidding process was flawed, open to legal challenge and lacked transparency, but still continued with the process of awarding the contract.
McLoughlin revealed to the committee that he was aware of a number of ‘small issues’ with the bidding process, but hadn’t enquired any further into what these issues might have been.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in