The Liberal Democrats have vowed to save some London commuters nearly £200 by freezing rail fares as they pressed a Home Counties offensive against the Tories.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Across the Blue Wall, commuters have borne the brunt of Conservative chaos, with the price of train tickets soaring whilst services have gotten worse.
“In the midst of a cost of living crisis, it is disgraceful that everyday passengers are having to pay more for trains which are increasingly delayed or cancelled,” he said.
“That is why the Liberal Democrats would help commuters keep more of their hard-earned money by freezing fail fares.”
On average, commuters are paying £1,100 more a year in some areas on season tickets since 2019 and the freeze would stop £115 million in total fare hikes next year, the party said.
It vowed to pay for the freeze by clamping down on tax avoidance and evasion.
Based on projections for inflation given by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the proposal would save £199 on an annual season ticket from Winchester to London terminals next year, £181 from Tunbridge Wells to London, £149 from Harpenden, and £140 from Woking.
The proposal feeds into the Lib Dems’ manifesto commitments to voters around the capital as they target a slew of constituencies in the Home Counties, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s new seat of Godalming and Ash in the Surrey commuter belt.
Other Cabinet targets include Chichester held by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer’s seat of South East Cambridgeshire and Science Secretary Michelle Donelan’s in Chippenham.
A YouGov MRP projection this week put the Lib Dems on track to win 17 seats in the South East, with the Conservatives forecast to suffer electoral wipeout nationally.
A Tory source noted that Lib Dem London mayoral candidate Rob Blackie had accused Sadiq Khan of a “pre-election gimmick” when he froze pay-as-you-go fares before the election on May 2.
The Lib Dems said the Labour Mayor’s freeze benefited tourists using pay-as-you-go tickets rather than regular travellers who pay by season ticket or contactless card, and that the their own plan was aimed squarely at commuters.
Meanwhile, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was due to hand in his papers around lunchtime today to stand as an independent candidate in Islington North, the area he has represented since 1983,.
Faiza Shaheen, who was blocked from standing as a Labour candidate in Chingford and Woodford Green allegedly over past posts on social media, was expected to decide about her political plans.
