Ministers have been accused of mounting a “power grab” with the appointment of two new officials to the Transport for London board.
Former cycling czar Andrew Gilligan and civil servant Clare Moriarty have been named as “special representatives” at TfL, as a condition of the £1.6 billion bailout of TfL.
Ministers have ordered an urgent review of the way TfL works and is funded which is likely to lead to fare rises. The review, run by central government and not the Mayor, may not be made public despite the radical impact it could have on the capital.
Ilford North MP Wes Streeting, who chairs the London Group of Labour MPs, said: “From increasing the congestion charge to scrapping free travel for young people, it is pretty obvious to Londoners that the Tories have used an unprecedented crisis to mount a power grab on TfL in the hope that the Mayor gets the blame for their decisions ahead of next year’s election.”
Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon, deputy chair of the London Assembly’s transport committee, said: “This shows a Government trying to take away more and more powers from the directly elected Mayor of London.”
Ms Moriarty previously served as the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union as well as other senior roles across Government departments.
Journalist Mr Gilligan was cycling commissioner when Boris Johnson was Mayor of London and now advises the Prime Minister on transport matters.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “As part of our £1.6bn support package for TfL to keep critical services running ... the deal must be fair to taxpayers and TfL must be put on a sustainable footing.”
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “Sadiq looks forward to working with the Government’s appointments to strengthen TfL’s future.”
