Tube drivers vote to strike

Tube drivers have voted in favour of strike action in a row over the firing of two colleagues. The RMT union said it would "consider the appropriate course of action" after almost two-thirds of its members voted in favour of a walkout. The union claims that two drivers were sacked because of their trade union activities. But Transport for London (TfL) strongly denies these allegations. A date for industrial action by drivers will be set by the RMT executive next week.

The stoppage will be the latest in a series to hit the tube network in recent months and comes as a Tory MP demanded tougher anti-strike laws.  RMT last walked out in late November in a dispute over staffing levels at ticket offices. On Boxing Day the other trains drivers' union, ASLEF, went on strike over bank holiday pay.