an overwhelming majority of the public would support renationalising the railways amid cancellations, delays and complaints of poor service from private rail operators, a new poll reveals. the exclusive survey for the independent also found nearly six out of 10 people think that the privatisation of britain’s railways has been a failure. pressure has been mounting on transport secretary chris grayling as thousands of commuters faced weeks of cancellations and delays, after sweeping timetable changes were brought in by govia thameslink rail gtr and northern rail. theresa may branded the disruption “unacceptable” when she discussed the issue with her cabinet last week, increasing pressure on the transport secretary. it also comes after the east coast mainline was taken back under public control, as the troubled franchise agreement between virgin trains and stagecoach had to be scrapped. the bmg research poll, which was conducted amid widespread rail chaos last week, found 64 per cent of voters would support bringing the railways back into public ownership, while just 19 per cent of people would oppose it. and 56 per cent branded the privatisation of the railways a failure, with only 15 per cent of people saying it had been a success. inside politics newsletter the latest news on brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday please enter your email address please enter a valid email address please enter a valid email address sign up thanks for signing up to the inside politics newsletter {{#verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} {{^verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} i would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from the independent. read our privacy notice inside politics newsletter the latest news on brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday thanks for signing up to the inside politics newsletter {{#verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} {{^verifyerrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyerrors}} i would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from the independent. read our privacy notice the poll found a major appetite for tougher sanctions against private rail firms, with 80 per cent backing the prospect of major fines and only 9 per cent opposing it. some 64 per cent believe the government has not properly held private firms to account over the quality of service they offer to the public, while only 20 per cent think rail companies have been reasonably scrutinised by ministers. more than 15,000 trains have been cancelled or delayed since the timetable changes came into force in may, with some passengers complaining they were at risk of losing their jobs. gtr was even forced to put on taxis to help teenagers get to school to sit their gcses in parts of cambridgeshire and hertfordshire. last week, mr grayling laid the blame for the disruption with rail firms, telling mps: “the huge growth in passenger numbers in recent years demanded expanded routes, services and extra seats, but this timetable change has resulted instead in unacceptable disruption for the passengers who rely on these services.” he added: “i am clear about the fact that the industry must and will be held to account for this, but my immediate priority is to ensure that we improve train services to an acceptable level as quickly as possible, and that will remain my priority.” however,shadow transport secretary andy mcdonald said: “he might want to blame network rail, but it is he who has failed in his responsibility to oversee it; the buck stops with him. “what is more, he has burnt his bridges with the leadership of network rail, which can only have damaged his oversight of this process. is not this a terrible failure of him and his role atop the system?” uk news in pictures show all 50 1 /50 uk news in pictures uk news in pictures 13 april 2021 the core of the milky way becomes visible in the early hours of tuesday morning as it moves over bamburgh lighthouse at stag rock in northumberland pa uk news in pictures 12 april 2021 rebecca richardson left and genevieve florence, members of the aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at clissold leisure centre in north london, which has reopened to the public. many facilities have reopened in the latest easing of lockdown include pubs and restaurants who can serve outside, non-essential shops, indoor gyms and swimming pools, nail salons and hairdressers, outdoor amusements and zoos pa uk news in pictures 11 april 2021 a pub staff pins up a sign announcing the reopening of the fox on the hill pub on denmark hill in london epa uk news in pictures 10 april 2021 the death gun salute is fired by the honourable artillery company to mark the passing of britain's prince philip, duke of edinburgh, at the the tower of london afp via getty uk news in pictures 9 april 2021 a man arrives to lay a bunch of flowers outside buckingham palace in central london after the announcement of the death of britain's prince philip, duke of edinburgh. - queen elizabeth ii's husband prince philip, who recently spent more than a month in hospital and underwent a heart procedure, died on april 9, buckingham palace announced. he was 99. afp via getty images uk news in pictures 8 april 2021 cousin pascal ridden by james king clears the chair on their way to winning the 4:05 pool via reuters uk news in pictures 7 april 2021 deliveroo riders from the independent workers’ union of great britain outside deliveroo headquarters in london, as they go on strike in a dispute for fair pay, safety protections and basic workers’ rights pa uk news in pictures 6 april 2021 waves crash over the walls next to seaham lighthouse in durham pa uk news in pictures 5 april 2021 lusamba katalay third from left, the husband of belly mujinga joins activists at a vigil at victoria station in london to mark the first anniversary of the death of railway worker belly mujinga who died with covid-19 following reports she had been coughed on by a customer at london's victoria station pa uk news in pictures 4 april 2021 people spend easter sunday at hengistbury head, bournemouth jake mcpherson/swns uk news in pictures 3 april 2021 a woman looks into the camera as she attends a 'kill the bill' protest in london epa uk news in pictures 2 april 2021 members of the bamburgh croquet club play a game following the easing of covid-19 restrictions in northumberland, britain reuters uk news in pictures 1 april 2021 a family walks in st nicholas' park in warwick, the hot weather which baked much of the uk this week is set to give way to a chilly easter weekend. pa uk news in pictures 31 march 2021 a woman adds a heart to the national covid memorial wall in london epa uk news in pictures 30 march 2021 jamie klingler from reclaim these streets speaks to the media in clapham common, south london, after a review by the chief inspector of constabulary sir thomas winsor concluded that metropolitan police officers “did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner” at the vigil pa uk news in pictures 29 march 2021 an aerial photo shows people playing tennis at the mersey bowman lawn tennis club in liverpool northwest england on march 29, 2021, as england's third covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease, allowing groups of up to six people to meet outside. - people in england rushed outside monday to enjoy sports, picnics and other previously prohibited activities, as the nation entered the second phase of its coronavirus lockdown easing thanks in large part to a successful vaccination drive afp via getty images uk news in pictures 28 march 2021 a walrus sleeps on the slipway of tenby lifeboat station at tenby, wales reuters uk news in pictures 27 march 2021 demonstrators attend a protest against a new proposed policing bill in manchester reuters uk news in pictures 26 march 2021 gallery technicians display andy warhol screenprints queen elizabeth ii, from: reigning queens screenprint in colours, 1985, left, and queen elizabeth ii, from: reigning queens royal edition screenprint in colours with diamond dust, 1985, right, at christie’s auction rooms in london ap uk news in pictures 25 march 2021 a member of staff, in the pool, cleans the bottom of the pool during pre-opening preparation and cleaning of charlton lido, south london, following its closure due to lockdown pa uk news in pictures 24 march 2021 scottish green party co-leaders patrick harvie and lorna slater on the local election campaign trail in edinburgh. pa uk news in pictures 23 march 2021 care home staff at westbourne house care home in sheffield hold a minute's silence during the national reflection day, the first anniversary of the first uk lockdown tom maddick / swns uk news in pictures 22 march 2021 the sun rises over the couple by artist sean henry, which sits off the coast at newbiggin-by-the-sea in northumberland pa uk news in pictures 21 march 2021 a man driving with his family in jersey captured the moment a meteor streaked across the sky on his car’s dash cam swns uk news in pictures 20 march 2021 police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against the lockdown in london reuters uk news in pictures 19 march 2021 a parakeet eats a cherry blossom in st. james's park, london, britain reuters uk news in pictures 18 march 2021 highland cattle lock horns at the national trust’s wicken fen nature reserve in cambridgeshire pa uk news in pictures 17 march 2021 a cleaner uses a fogging machine to clean a train carriage early in the morning pa uk news in pictures 16 march 2021 a giant 60-metre wide sand portrait of 12-year-old ansha from ethiopia created by wateraid on whitby beach in yorkshire. the image of the young girl, who spends hours each day collecting dirty water from a river, was created to illustrate how climate change threatens water access for world's poorest pa uk news in pictures 15 march 2021 five kayaks, each reflecting the shape of a human bone, form osteoclast i do not know how i came to be on board this ship, this navel of my ark 2021, a sculpture by teresa solar, positioned outside exchange flags, it's one of the outdoor exhibits in the 11th edition of liverpool biennial which opens march 20, 2021, and features a series of outdoor sculpture, sonic and digital commissions by nine different artists. pa photo. picture date: monday march 15, 2021. pa photo. to align with government guidelines, the second 'inside' chapter will launch the full festival of exhibitions and events hosted by key venues throughout the city in late spring pa uk news in pictures 14 march 2021 protesters calling for greater public safety for women after the death of sarah everard, against the police handling of a gathering on clapham common in sarah everard's honour and against a proposed law that would give police more powers to intervene on protests hold up their mobile phones with their torches illuminated in parliament square in central london afp via getty uk news in pictures 13 march 2021 a well-wisher places flowers at a band-stand where a planned vigil in honour of murder victim sarah everard was cancelled after police outlawed it due to covid-19 restrictions, on clapham common, south london afp via getty images uk news in pictures 12 march 2021 angela rayner, deputy leader of the labour party, and jonathan ashworth, shadow health secretary, launch a poster in central london, criticising the government's recommendation of a 1 percent nhs pay proposal, following the party's campaign launch on thursday for the local and mayoral elections in may pa uk news in pictures 11 march 2021 waves crash over the harbour wall in newhaven, southern england afp/getty uk news in pictures 10 march 2021 officers from the metropolitan police search woodland near to great chart golf and leisure in ashford, kent pa uk news in pictures 9 march 2021 a vertical mulcher machine is used to clear trees during the restoration of an ancient bog near kielder water in northumberland. the ancient habitat, known as the border mires, is under threat from encroaching trees which are being removed as part of a 50 year old environmental project to protect the border mires in northumberland pa uk news in pictures 8 march 2021 students take lateral flow tests for coronavirus at the jewellery quarter academy in birmingham in the west midlands, as pupils in england return to school for the first time in two months as part of the first stage of lockdown easing pa uk news in pictures 7 march 2021 nurses and nhs workers from the campaign group nhs workers say no, and unite’s guys and st thomas hospital union branch, hold a socially distanced protest outside downing street in london over the proposed 1% pay rise from the government pa uk news in pictures 6 march 2021 rangers fans outside the stadium after the scottish premiership match at ibrox stadium, glasgow pa uk news in pictures 5 march 2021 people go for a walk at the dream a sculptor in sutton manor, st helens, merseyside, on a clear spring day pa uk news in pictures 4 march 2021 health secretary matt hancock during a visit to the centre for virus research at glasgow university in glasgow pa uk news in pictures 3 march 2021 chancellor of the exchequer, rishi sunak outside 11 downing street, london, before heading to the house of commons to deliver his budget pa uk news in pictures 2 march 2021 a train rounds the coast and heads towards the carbis bay estate hotel and beach, which is set to be the main venue for the upcoming g7 summit getty uk news in pictures 1 march 2021 newborn lambs in a field at a j thompson & sons farm on the romney marsh near lydd in kent on the first day of meteorological spring pa uk news in pictures 28 february 2021 people walking on the beach in scarborough, north yorkshire pa uk news in pictures 27 february 2021 the coffin of captain tom moore is being carried members of the armed forces at bedford crematorium in bedford epa uk news in pictures 26 february 2021 a dog stands on rocks as the sun rises behind it at new brighton beach, wirral pa uk news in pictures 25 february 2021 shadow chancellor anneliese dodds delivers a pre-budget speech to the institute of global prosperity at labour party headquarters in london pa uk news in pictures 24 february 2021 britain's health secretary matt hancock looks on outside downing street in london, britain reuters uk news in pictures 23 february 2021 two surfers make their way into the sea off of boscombe beach in dorset pa rmt union accused mr grayling of leaving their drivers to be “hung out to dry as human shields for a failed tory privatisation dogma”. network rail, gtr and northern have all apologised for the chaos, claiming they did not have enough time to prepare for the introduction of the new timetables because of delayed engineering works. the findings come amid anger from mps and passengers after outgoing network rail boss, mark carne, has been awarded a cbe in the queen’s birthday honours. the department of transport admitted the timing was “clearly unfortunate” with current issues. bmg interviewed a representative sample of 1,490 adults living in great britain between 5th and 8th june. data is weighted. bmg are members of the british polling council and abide by their rules. full results can be found at www.bmgresearch.co.uk/polling
outrage as britain’s windrush immigrants are snubbed at this week’s commonwealth summit