TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling should have £2,400 docked from his wages over the East Coast Main Line fiasco that led to the government again having to rescue the rail route’s principal franchise, Labour said yesterday.

MPs voted on whether to cut Mr Grayling’s salary by the cost of a season ticket to London from his Epsom and Ewell constituency after shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald moved a Commons motion to that effect. It was defeated by 304 votes to 271.

During the debate, Mr McDonald said Mr Grayling had “fallen desperately short” in his handling of the agreement between the Department for Transport (DfT) and Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC).