The UK travel chaos could become a full-blown national crisis, says Andrew Marr

8 June 2022, 18:08 | Updated: 8 June 2022, 18:14

Andrew Marr monologue amid travel chaos and cost of living crisis

By Megan Hinton

Will Brits be "stuck at home gazing bleakly out of the window this summer?", asks Andrew Marr as the UK face a summer of travel misery with airports descending into chaos, network wide rail and tube strikes and soaring fuel costs.

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In his opening monologue on LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, he told listeners: "Boris Johnson, quite naturally, wants to escape from the last few days. Many of the rest of us also want to escape, sometime quite soon for a break or on holiday.

"Not so easy, folks. Today, far away from the shenanigans at Westminster, Britain faces the biggest rail strikes for 30 years.

"Never mind, you say, I'll Fly.. have you seen what's happening in the airports? Have you looked at the airline cancellations?

"Blast you say. Well, if the worst comes to the worst I'll fill up the car and go for a tootle nearer home.

"Well, you are very welcome: but yesterday, I have to say, so the price of petrol taking its biggest daily jump for 17 years with diesel also at a record high colon quite soon filling up your car could cost £100.

Watch Tonight with Andrew Marr exclusively on Global Player every Monday to Thursday from 6pm to 7pm.

"We were stuck at home, many of us, gazing bleakly out of the window, through the pandemic. Are we going to be stuck there again this year because of a summer of discontent?

"After Monday's rebellion by Tory MPs common this looks like it could become a full-blown national crisis, the next urgent challenge for the Prime Minister.

"In the next hour I'll be talking to Network Rail, to  Labour’s business spokesman, and - To see whether tax cuts might help offer a way out, to the former Tory cabinet minister John Redwood, and a challenger for the Tory leadership - though not this time I should add...

You can also listen to the podcast Tonight with Andrew Marr only on Global Player.

"That Andrew Marr, I hear you think, he's a cheerful bunny, always find something to bring a smile to the face.

"And I do hear you. There is too much gloom in the news, an intolerable quantity of grimness and so today I'm going to bring you not one, but two stories of of love and optimism from modern Britain...."