Train drivers have secured a significant pay rise after the threat of strike action was floated on busy routes across the UK, including those on the busy London-Manchester line.

The deal, which was agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union, is the first to be approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership.

As well as the London-Manchester line – likely to see increased ministerial traffic after the establishment of the No 10 North office – the company also operates services to other big British cities such as Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool.

Coming after Aslef announced plans in June to ballot members about possible strike action over pay, the deal – first reported by the Sunday Times – will be seen as a victory for the union. It features a 3.6% pay rise for drivers, 0.7% higher than the latest inflation rate, as well as time and a half pay for working Sundays, and £720 if drivers work a fifth day in the week.

Avanti is to be renationalised under the Labour government by spring 2027, with all rail companies due to be under government control by the end of that year. The operator, which is seen as having the worst punctuality rating for any major rail company in the UK based on figures from the Office of Rail and Road, has cut multiple services in the past year, including the 7am train between Manchester and London, which they cut and brought back in the space of a few days after public scrutiny.

The government said it had “prioritised resolving the rail union disputes, improving services for passengers and saving hundreds of millions in lost revenue to ease the burden on taxpayers”.

But Conservative shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said that the government was “totally capitulating to their union paymasters” and that “taxpayers are being asked to stump up millions simply to save Burnham’s blushes.”

An Aslef spokesperson said on Saturday: “Our job is to enhance our members’ terms and conditions and this deal, struck with Avanti West Coast and approved by the DFTO (Department for Transport Operator), has been accepted.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “This government has prioritised resolving the rail union disputes, improving services for passengers and saving hundreds of millions in lost revenue to ease the burden on taxpayers.

“We are pleased to see Avanti West Coast work with Aslef to enable a fair and affordable settlement to keep Britain’s railways moving and prevent disruption for passengers.”

Simon Jenkins is right that traffic rules can feel bureaucratic, but using Hans Monderman’s “shared space” to justify running red lights misses the entire point of Monderman’s philosophy (I’ll admit it: I’ve cycled through red lights. But Britain’s traffic laws are to blame, not me, 21 August).

Monderman didn’t champion anarchy so individuals could cherrypick which laws to follow; he suggested infrastructure be removed precisely to force collective cooperation, eye contact and mutual caution.

The moment cyclists ignore that negotiation process while vulnerable pedestrians are left unprotected, the delicate psychological balance collapses. Freedom without universal accountability isn’t shared space. It is just a system that rewards the most aggressive road user.

That is precisely why high-profile implementations like London’s Exhibition Road faced a fierce backlash and were reversed, and why the UK government eventually halted new level-surface shared-space projects: when compliance breaks down, it is blind and elderly people, and vulnerable pedestrians, who pay the price for an idealised view of human nature.
Gary Ogin
London

As a lifelong cyclist may I point out an alternative view to that of Simon Jenkins? I don’t mind red lights; they offer unplanned fartlek opportunities on a training ride, skill development in maintaining a track stand for an unpredictable length of time, and stomp intervals in getting away from them. And if I’m knackered, a nice unplanned rest and chance to take a drink. I’m not sure Jenkins’ anarchic behaviour and justification for it does much to help the case of cyclists.
Peter Anderson
Barwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire

I ride a bike and a motorbike, and drive a car, and on all three I stop at red lights. Cyclists who ignore traffic lights contribute to the growing antagonism towards the rest of us. Simon Jenkins should know better.
Edward Collier
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Four years ago, aged 83, I was knocked down by a young man on a bike. Damaged wrist. He rode away quickly after making sure I wasn’t dead. April this year, aged 87, I was knocked down on a pedestrian crossing by a black ebike. Deep wound on leg, police, ambulance, hospital. Four months later, the leg is still being treated. The rider rode off after making sure I wasn’t dead. Shame on you, Simon Jenkins.
Joan Grabham
Cambridge

UK petrol prices have hit their highest level since 2022, piling more financial pressure on motorists before the bank holiday weekend.

The average cost of petrol has reached 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs an average of 183.4p a litre, according to the AA breakdown company.

The last time the petrol price was so high was in November 2022, when it soared in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It comes as millions of people prepare to make car journeys over the bank holiday weekend, which will be marked in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The RAC estimates that the UK’s motorways and major roads could have the most traffic since its records began in 2015.

The services company has predicted Friday is likely to be the worst day for heavy traffic, with more than 4.1m cars expected on the roads.

Luke Bosdet of the AA said the rise in petrol prices showed that “UK pump pricing is back to its worst”. It is “too often overpriced and uncompetitive, with too many communities denied road fuel at a reasonable price”, he said.

The UK’s competition regulator told fuel retailers this year that it would step up its monitoring of pump prices amid concern over profiteering as the US war with Iran drives up wholesale costs.

Before the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February, Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – traded at about $72 a barrel. It hit a peak of $126 a barrel in April, before dipping to $71 at the start of July on hopes of a peace deal. It now trades at $89.63.

The Competition and Markets Authority found this summer that many petrol stations were too slow to pass on falls in wholesale energy prices to their customers.

A government scheme called Fuel Finder allows drivers to compare the cost of fuel offered by petrol stations across the UK. The AA found that in some areas, petrol was sold at about 10p below the national average cost for a litre on Thursday night, at stations in areas such as Aylesbury, Wembley and Gloucester.

Bosdet said just one competitively priced forecourt “can often pull down the price of fuel locally, including at nearby supermarkets”.

He said: “Drivers just need to find them and go to them.”

Earlier this month the CMA said it had sent out more than 1,000 warning letters to retailers who had failed to share their prices with the Fuel Finder service.