The Scoop

Mike Tuffrey attacks Lembit Öpik’s "infeasible" 24hr tube plan

Adam Bienkov | Wednesday 15 June, 2011 15:17

Lib Dem Assembly Member Mike Tuffrey said today that Lembit Öpik’s proposal for a 24 hour tube was “completely infeasible” and insisted that he was the “serious choice” to take on Boris and Ken next year.

Tuffrey made the comments following the launch of his campaign to be the Lib Dem’s Mayoral candidate in 2012.

Speaking to The Scoop outside City Hall he said:

All the experts tell me [a 24 hour tube] is completely infeasible. What I’m saying on transport is we need to speed up the investment so that the daily commute, the peak hours which is when millions of Londoners are suffering on their commute is improved. That is what we need to focus on.

Lembit Öpik has promised to hold a referendum on running the tube 24 hours a day, but admits that it could lead to commuters paying considerably more to fund it.

The current and former Mayor have both ruled out a 24hr tube on cost and maintenance grounds, and even a proposal by Boris to run tube trains later at weekends was quietly dropped last year.

Tuffrey was today joined by former Lib Dem Mayoral candidate Susan Kramer and a host of other senior London Lib Dem figures.

His campaign team distributed a list of key supporters including a wide range of councillors and London Assembly candidates.

When the BBC surveyed London Lib Dems recently, they failed to find a single senior figure willing to back Lembit’s bid for Mayor.

A wider survey by Lib Dem Voice also found just 10% of London party members willing to endorse Öpik for Mayor.

Lembit insists that only he has the “recognition factor” to be Mayor, and while his campaign activity has been minimal, he has at least produced the most memorable video of the Mayoral race so far.

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