Aslef leader left proposed deal to end rail strikes unread

Mick Whelan says unacceptable offer was briefed to the media 10 minutes after it was sent to him

Mick Whelan, the head of the Aslef train drivers’ union, has never even opened an email setting out a proposed deal to end strike action 17 months ago because he realised the offer was so bad it would be rejected, he has said.

In an interview with parliamentary magazine The House, Whelan said he had not met Mark Harper, the transport secretary, since December 2022, or Huw Merriman, the transport minister whose brief covers rail, since January 2023.