Papers welcome McNulty rail reforms but warn of possible ‘class war’ with unions

There was general agreement in the media that the McNulty report into the railways has come up with some sensible suggestions but there was no clear consensus about which ones are most important, or necessary. The papers did agree, however, that the unions aren’t going to like them.

The McNulty report on the structure of the UK’s rail industry generated an enormous amount of media coverage in the run up to its publication on 19 May. “Every so often, a bald-headed businessman writes a report on the efficiency of the railways and everyone panics,” wrote political journalist Julian Glover, kicking off the debate in The Guardian on 16 May. “Two things are certain. McNulty will not transform the railways. And before that there will be much wailing and...

+91% more