Tory council chief attacks Cameron over train deal snub

In a scathing letter to David Cameron, Derby City Council leader Philip Hickson said it was impossible to understand the decision to give the £1.4bn contract to build rolling stock for the Thameslink route between Bedford and Brighton to German firm Siemens, instead of UK trainmaker Bombardier.

In the correspondence dated August 1, Coun Hickson wrote: “Frankly, as the Conservative leader of a major city council, I am finding it increasingly difficult to explain why my Prime Minister and our Government seem to be hiding behind a number of myths about legalities, procurement, future rail contracts, and a denial that there is the likelihood of Bombardier Transportation UK closing.

“This will undoubtedly cost our party and our coalition partners very dearly at the next local and general elections, and I cannot stress this point too strongly.”

Bombardier, which is based in the city and is Britain’s last remaining trainmaker, is poised to axe 1,400 jobs after losing out on the contract.

Mr Hickson said a visit by Business Secretary Vince Cable to the city this week only served to highlight that he was not the right Minister to be dealing with the issue, and instead the matter should fall to the Prime Minister and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.

“Dr Cable also hid behind the ‘not my Department’ argument,” Coun Hickson wrote.

“This was understandable given his apparent lack of knowledge and information about the structure of the UK rail manufacturing industry and the structure of the industry worldwide,” he said.

Mr Hickson, who is also chairman of the Derbyshire Police Authority, urged the Prime Minister to meet him and his colleagues.