Win for Sir Richard Branson as government kills contract with West Coast rail rival
Skift Take
Even though the contract doesn't automatically revert to Virgin, Branson's win is huge here as his persistence forced the government to shuffle ministers and criticize its own handling of the bidding process.
Business bodies have lambasted the government's mishandling of the West Coast main line franchise as the transport secretary scrapped the contract over bidding "flaws".
Both the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Institute of Directors criticised the government over the bungled contract, warning that it could put businesses off tabling bids and deter investment.
"Government tendering processes must be whiter than white, or firms will be deterred from applying to take contracts on, which will harm service delivery," said Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors.
"It is shocking that such a cruc
