TRANSPORT secretary Grant Shapps said today that he is “optimistic” about agreeing a “solution” for Transport for London (TfL) amid the coronavirus outbreak, but stopped short of promising a long-term bailout deal.

During the daily Downing Street press conference, he was asked whether the government was “close to a rescue deal” for TfL if “social distancing stays for years.”

Mr Shapps said he is “optimistic” of having a solution with TfL but that he does not know whether there would be a long-term solution.