Tube report to be made public

London Underground (LU) today lost its legal bid to block publication of a potentially-damaging report on the Government's part-privatisation of the Tube.

It had sought permission to appeal against a High Court ruling last month to lift an injunction on the Deloitte & Touche report.

The report questions whether the £13 billion public private partnership (PPP) to revamp the network would provide good value for money.

But following a day of legal argument yesterday, three judges in the Court of appeal in London today rejected LU's case.

Lord Justice Aldous, Lord Justice Robert Walker and Lord Justice Sedley delivered their judgment in a packed courtroom announcing that they refused permission to appeal.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has accused LU of running scared from "informed debate" adding: "One has to ask what it is about this report that makes London Underground prepared to continue to try to gag it?"

On July 31, Mr Justice Sullivan said he would allow an edited version of the report, which contains information of "critical importance" to the public, to be published.

He also criticised LU and London Regional Transport for not taking the public interest strongly into account before banning Mr Livingstone and London Transport Commissioner Bob Kiley from releasing it.

Under PPP, maintenance will be carried out by private companies on 30-year contracts while the network will be operated by LU.

LU has said it feels that some of the information in the report was "commercially sensitive to the private bidders."