• Liberal Democrats: Rail passengers must not be priced off trains
• “Taken for a ride” – Liberal Democrats urge rail fare freeze as inflation bites
• Headphone dodgers: Govt should take a leaf out Irish Rail’s book and back Lib Dem calls for fines
• Carmichael voices concern over abolition of UK Space Agency

Liberal Democrats: Rail passengers must not be priced off trains

The Liberal Democrats have demanded an urgent rail fare freeze ahead of inflation figures which are expected to determine the amount rail fares rise next year.

Almost half of all fares in England are directly controlled by the Government. Millions of commuters and families risk being priced off the railway if ministers allow another steep increase, based on the latest inflation figures.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, Paul Kohler MP, said:

Rail passengers are already paying sky-high prices for overcrowded trains and unreliable services. Hiking fares yet again would be a betrayal of passengers who are simply trying to get to work, travel to school or visit family and friends.

Families and hardworking commuters are being hit with the cost of living crisis month after month, and now face being ripped off on the railways too. Pricing people off the trains will only drive more cars onto our congested roads, increase pollution and damage our economy.

The Liberal Democrats are urging Ministers to freeze rail fares and get more people onto the trains. Raising fares is a false economy that will only drive down passengers and revenue in the long run.

“Taken for a ride” – Liberal Democrats urge rail fare freeze as inflation bites

Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Paul Kohler MP has warned the Government that passengers are being “taken for a ride”, as the latest inflation stats suggest rail fares are set to rise.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for rail fares to be frozen to avoid another hit to the cost of living and encourage more people on to trains.

New figures released today (20 August) show that regulated rail fares are set to rise 3.8% in 2026-27 if they follow inflation. That means some commuters could face rises of above £2,000 since 2020, Liberal Democrat research shows. This follows increases of 4.6% in 2025-26, 4.9% in 2024-2025, and 5.9% in 2023-2024.

This means a season ticket from Winchester to London will cost £7,118 up by £390 from last year, and £345 more from Cambridge.

Commenting on the figures, Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon and Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson said:

This is nothing short of ludicrous. Commuters are simply being taken for a ride. We simply cannot allow the current rate of inflation to set rail fares while services get worse.

To increase rail fares at all in the midst of a cost of living crisis would be nothing other than a slap in the face to ordinary people.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to scrap the 2026-27 rail fare rise and get more people onto the trains. Raising fares is a false economy that will only drive down passengers and revenue in the long run.

Headphone dodgers: Govt should take a leaf out Irish Rail’s book and back Lib Dem calls for fines

Responding to reports that Irish Rail has introduced fines for passengers listening to music out loud, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Paul Kohler MP said:

People are sick and tired of headphone dodgers playing loud music on public transport, ruining people’s journeys, when they’re just trying to get from A to B in peace.

The Government needs to answer the silent majority who don’t inflict their noise on others by taking a leaf out of Irish Rail’s book, and backing the Lib Dems’ calls for tough action and fines for the anti-social headphone dodgers.

Carmichael voices concern over abolition of UK Space Agency

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today voiced concerns about news that the UK Space Agency will be absorbed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026, and cease to exist as an independent agency.

The government says this will save money, cut duplication and ensure ministerial oversight, though some experts have raised concerns that the change could lead to disruption in the short term and the UK losing ground to its international competitors.

Mr Carmichael said:

Having generally been pretty content with the efforts of the UK Space Agency in recent years, I would call this a case of ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it’. There is no doubt in my mind from past discussions and debates in Parliament that the government takes a strong interest in supporting the space sector but I fear that this could be unnecessary disruption to the vital work developing our space industry in the isles and across the UK.

What matters, however, are results. Whatever government body is leading the charge, as long as there is a strong, single-minded focus in government to get our space industry off the ground in the months to come, that is what counts.