By Cllr Laila Cunningham

Londoners just want to get to work. That’s it.

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They don’t want to wake up and check if the Tube’s running. They don’t want to gamble on whether they’ll get home. They don’t want their day dictated by another strike threat.

But that’s where we are. And let’s be honest about why.

The unions know they’re in charge. They know they can threaten to shut the city down, and they’ll get a result. Maybe not straight away. But eventually.

Because the Mayor won’t take them on. Sadiq Khan negotiates from weakness. Everyone can see it. That’s why this keeps happening.

And the demands don’t stay the same. They grow. Tube drivers can earn up to £70–80k. Good pensions. Job security most people would kill for. And still it’s not enough.

Last time, we had rows over perks which most Londoners don’t get anywhere near. Now we’re talking about four-day weeks on the same pay.

Call it what it is: that’s a pay rise.

And who pays for it? Not the unions. Not City Hall. We do

Every time there’s a strike or even the threat of one, businesses lose money, workers lose wages, and parents are scrambling. The whole city takes a hit.

And we’re just meant to accept it. We shouldn’t. Because there’s a bigger question here: How long can a city like London run like this?

At some point, you either get a grip or the system changes.

A system where a small group can shut down a global city again and again is not sustainable.

Other cities have worked that out already. That’s why they’ve moved towards automation, because reliability matters.

Well, I’m sorry, but it’s high time London had a Mayor willing to make a stand. Because our capital simply cannot afford to be continually held to ransom.

Which is why we need to start looking seriously at the idea of extending fully automated trains operating across the entire Underground network.

Such a move would require an enormous amount of political will. The cost alone would likely exceed £20bn. But with a single strike day estimated to cost the UK economy between £50m-£100m day this would surely a price worth paying in the long run.

The biggest challenge, of course, will inevitably come from the unions who will claim driverless trains would endanger lives - clearly nonsense when you look at the success of the Docklands Light Railway, which has been driverless since its inception in 1987.

Londoners, too, would have to brace themselves for a long and arduous battle, with frequent disruptions to the service.

Could they stomach it? I would suggest that most commuters these days are totally fed up with TfL's management of the London Underground.

They see a bloated, decrepit monopoly with drivers on wages that most of the public can only dream of. Some drivers earn as much as £80,000, a staggering sum.

Make no mistake, automating the entire network would be a huge challenge. But the long-term benefits would be enormous.

Just think: A modern, reliable, fully-functioning Underground system fit for the 21st century, beyond the reach of perpetual industrial action.

We just need a Mayor with the strength and vision to make it happen.

A Mayor’s job is simple: Keep the city moving, stand up for the public. Right now, none of that is happening. And Londoners are paying the price.

This isn’t just about strikes. It’s about who runs the city.

And right now, it’s not the people who live in it.

Laila Cunningham is Reform UK's London Mayoral candidate and the leader of the Reform UK group on Westminster Council.

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