The UK rail minister has had an award-winning engineer sacked for speaking to the media about safety issues on London Euston Station, while in his previous position.
Peter Hendy, former president of Red ferroviariathreatened to withhold contracts from his employer – one of the UK’s largest rail consultancy firms – unless the engineer was dismissed.
News website Politico revealed that Lord Hendy became angry after engineer Gareth Dennis told a reporter that overcrowding at the station was “unsafe”.
Mr Dennis spoke about the crowded conditions, particularly when one or more trains are delayed or cancelled, resulting in thousands of people gathering in the concourse.
Last week, Politico obtained a letter from Lord Hendy to the engineer’s employer, SYSTRA, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
According to the website, the letter warned that “finding a potential supplier who criticizes a potential customer reflects negatively on their likelihood of doing business with us or our customers.” supply chain.’
Peter Hendy (pictured), the former chairman of Network Rail, threatened to withhold contracts from his employer – one of the UK’s largest rail consultancy firms – unless the engineer was sacked.
Mr Dennis spoke about the overcrowded conditions at London’s Euston station, particularly when one or more trains are delayed or cancelled.
The email to the rail consultancy reportedly said: “The allegation that Network Rail is running an unsafe operation is serious.”
However, speaking to RailTech, Mr Dennis said the comments in question had been made during “a very calm interview” with The Independent.
He insisted he did not blame any particular person, nor did Network Rail need to “get its act together”, but said it was a “condition of the station’s history” that “would always be a challenge and needs to be managed”.
Lord Hendy, who sent the letter in May this year, was chairman of Network Rail from 2015 until he became part of Sir Keir Starmer’s new Labour government in July.
Mr Dennis was suspended on May 20, according to a letter from his employer seen by Politico, citing Lord Hendy’s complaint.
Other emails show that on May 24, Mr. Dennis was offered a financial settlement to leave SYSTRA on the condition that he signed an agreement with a confidentiality clause.
He did not sign it and was subsequently dismissed with four weeks’ notice on July 8 following a disciplinary hearing.
MailOnline has contacted Lord Hendy, Downing Street, Network Rail, SYSTRA and the Department for Transport for comment.
Shadow Transport Secretary Helen Whatley previously expressed concern about Lord Hendy’s appointment following the whistleblower incident.
Shadow Transport Secretary Helen Whatley previously raised concerns about Lord Hendy’s appointment to Sir Keir’s new government (pictured) following the whistleblower incident.
The Independent reported her as saying: ‘We need a culture in Government where people are not afraid to speak out when something is wrong, not one where whistleblowers feel threatened.
“We now need to know who knew what and when, and whether Keir Starmer thinks his minister’s conduct is acceptable.”
Lord Hendy is the 71-year-old grandson of the sixth Baron Wynford of Wynford Eagle, whose hereditary title dates back to the reign of George IV.
Her mother, Mary Best, was an aristocratic debutante until she married Hendy’s father, Jack, who was a communist electrician.
Lord Hendy was educated at Latymer Upper School and the University of Leeds, where he graduated in Economics and Geography in 1975.
In 2013, escort Rachel Grundy claimed she had a nine-month affair with Lord Hendy while he was overseeing London’s travel network for the 2012 Olympics.
Ms Grundy alleged that Lord Hendy gave her Oyster cards with £10 credit on each, as well as a London 2012 pin as a token of his affection.
The Telegraph reported at the time that Lord Hendy had not commented on his private life and then-London mayor Boris Johnson said there was no evidence of “inappropriate conduct”.
Lord Hendy was honoured with a CBE in the 2006 New Year Honours List for his services to public transport and the London community.
In October 2022, as part of special honours, Lord Hendy was awarded a life peerage.
