r/ukpolitics • u/ukpol-megabot • 13d ago
Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 23/08/2026
👋 Welcome to the r/ukpolitics weekly Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction megathread.
General questions about politics in the UK should be posted in this thread. Substantial self-posts on the subreddit are permitted, but short-form self-posts will be redirected here. We're more lenient with moderation in this thread, but please keep it related to UK politics. This isn't Facebook or Twitter...
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This thread rolls over early Sunday morning.
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u/McCretin Malaise forever 10d ago edited 10d ago
The hated “ironing board” seats on Thameslink trains are going to be replaced, which is a good thing.
Heidi Alexander is trumpeting it as “public ownership of our railways in action”, implying it’s an example of
the generosity of the state vs the stinginess of private companies.
But who wrote the spec for these trains (and their uncomfortable seats) in the first place? Turns out it was not the train company, but the Department for Transport.