Fare dodgers chipping away at society, Jenrick says

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said he hopes his video confronting fare evaders on the London Underground will "shame people into action".

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley, Jenrick said activities such as fare dodging along with graffiti and playing music on public transport were "chipping away at society".

Asked if his party's policy of austerity was a contributing factor, Jenrick said he believed in being "honest about the mistakes of the last Conservative government".

Responding to Jenrick's video, Transport for London (TfL) said fare evasion was "unacceptable" and that it was expanding its team of investigators to "target the most prolific fare evaders".

In the video, which has had around 10 million views on the social media platform X, Jenrick is seen at Stratford station in east London challenging a number of people squeezing through barriers in an apparent effort to avoid paying the fare.

Along with the video, he posted a message reading: "Sadiq Khan is driving a proud city into the ground. Lawbreaking is out of control. He's not acting. So, I did."

Explaining his reasons for making the video, Jenrick said he was "sick to death of people fare dodging" and felt he needed to "highlight the issue".

"It's about the authorities - in this instance Tfl or the police - not stepping up and not enforcing the rules," he said.

"It makes most people feel silly, feel foolish. Why are they paying for their fares on the Tube when others aren't doing so."

Asked if he had sought permission from TfL to make a video on their premises, he replied "I didn't know that was their rule", adding: "They should be going after people breaking the law, not the rules."

TfL launched a new plan to tackle fare evaders last month, saying it was using travel data and CCTV to focus on "those who evade fares repeatedly".

In a statement, it said the fare evasion rate for 2024/25 was averaging 3.4%, down from 3.8% in the previous year. It added it was committed to reducing it to 1.5% by 2030.

TfL says its uniformed enforcement officers are trained in how to physically intervene with travellers flouting rules, and when staff deem it is not safe to do so they are encouraged to report incidents to aid wider enforcement efforts.

It says workplace safety is a key concern, pointing out that around half of all incidents of aggression towards its staff are linked to fare disputes.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association trade union said it had "consistently called for properly trained and fully resourced personnel... to deal with fare evasion in a way that is effective, lawful and safe".

It added: "Fare evasion is a serious issue but it must be tackled with professional trained enforcement, not MPs trying to score points or social media clout on their daily commute."

Asked about the video, Treasury Minister Darren Jones told BBC Radio 4's PM the Conservatives had cut the number of police while Labour was trying to increase neighbourhood policing to "deal with this type of anti-social behaviour".

"If Robert Jenrick wants a job, we will be hiring some special constables," he added.

In recent months Jenrick has made similar videos on litter-dropping and theft of trade tools, leading to suggestions he is running an ongoing campaign to be Conservative Party leader.

Jenrick stood in the last leadership contest but came second to Kemi Badenoch.

Asked if he still wanted to be Tory leader, he replied: "No, absolutely not... I'm just trying to do my job."

He said Badenoch would lead his party into the next election, adding that the Tory Party had "been in tough spots before but has always bounced back".

Jenrick was recently seen having lunch with Rupert Lowe, an independent MP who was expelled from Reform UK earlier this year.

Asked if he would like Lowe to join the Conservatives, Jenrick said: "I want the Tory Party to be the natural home for any small-c conservatives in this country...

"Rupert is somebody who has taken strong lines on things like border control, like crime, on how we build a more integrated country."

However, Jenrick said he had not asked Lowe to join the party and Lowe "hasn't asked to".

"Ultimately it's for him to decide what his future is and for Kemi, as leader of the party, to decide if he or anybody else is suitable to join us," he added.