• THE government’s conditions of the bailout of Transport for London are politically motivated and designed to undermine our mayor ahead of May’s election.

Sadiq Khan has rightly said these decisions would hit the poorest hardest. For young people, free travel enables them to get to school and explore all of London, giving them access to our world class museums and institutions.

Families made decisions on where to live and where to send their children to school with the certainty of free travel. To remove it is unfair and punishes those least able to pay.

Thanks to the Tories, many parents will face expensive travel bills at a time when pay has been stagnant for most families for many of these austerity years.

Freedom Pass holders were told that the removal of their peak travel would be temporary to aid with social distancing.

In reality the removal of the pass by the Conservatives means that older generations are becoming increasingly isolated. The government needs to assure us that this measure is indeed temporary.

London’s economy is trying to get back on its feet, but decision-making from the Conservatives is a threat to recovery. They must stop the blackmailing of TfL finances and save free travel for older and younger Londoners.

ANNE CLARKE
Labour London Assembly Candidate for Barnet & Camden