THE Greater London Authority's call for 51% control of the part-privatised of the Tube have been described as "posturing" by a London Underground source.
The source dismissed the GLA demand, which has led to a breakdown in talks between the authority and the government, saying that it was "inconceivable that the contracts could operate under those conditions".

Consortia bidding for the contracts have cut back the number of staff they have working on the deals after the impasse was announced on Building's website LiveNews.

One bidder said: "All the consortia have had to scale down. You can't have 60 or 70 people standing around doing nothing." Bidders have also threatened to walk away from the deal if Kiley's demands are met, saying the contracts would have to be rebid, delaying the project further.

It is understood that Kiley must submit his revisions for the scheme by next week.