24.08.12
Public pressure
First it was just Branson himself striking out at the Government’s procurement process that resulted in the FirstGroup win of the WCML franchise, labelling the DfT ‘insane’ and threatening to launch a judicial review.
Then passengers started chipping in, an e-petition was created and taken up by thousands of members of the public, with celebrities jumping on board to show their support.
Now it seems MPs wish to have their say on the controversial bid, and scrutinise the award. The Transport Committee has stated that the bid has raised important issues about the basis on which decisions on major rail franchises are made, and this should be explored by MPs before the final sign-off.
The amount of opposition to the Government’s decision may be a little surprising, and will certainly have to be taken more seriously now that the transport secretary has been involved. But surely the DfT has invested too much in this process and in particular this decision, to heed the opposition and return the franchise to Virgin?
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