Prime Minister on Night Riviera (28/05)

[Sleepy]

Rishi did a "David Cameron" and travelled on the Sleeper to Penzance last night. Harry Cole, The Sun political editor said today on BBC Politics Live programme it's like the 1950s with no charging points !! Another journo spouting rubbish .....

 

[danbarjon]

I believe someone did ask why the train and not the chopper and his response was something about sending photos to his kids... maybe he wants to be "down with the people" quite literally as well as he's not in the sky this time

 

[InTheEastMids]

maybe he wants to be "down with the people"

Yes, it's well known that the Night Riviera is only patronised by the seething hoards of ungrateful proletariat.
(edit: Yes, I know Danbarjon is also not being entirely serious)

 

[andylikestrain]

Just reading that a bunch of journalists (Ione Wells BBC correspondent tweet on BBC website) were travelling with Mr Sunak on the sleeper, plus security presumably. I’d be interested to know if GWR cancelled any bookings made by ordinary travellers in order to fit them all on the train.

 

[danbarjon]

Just reading that a bunch of journalists (Ione Wells BBC correspondent tweet on BBC website) were travelling with Mr Sunak on the sleeper, plus security presumably. I’d be interested to know if GWR cancelled any bookings made by ordinary travellers in order to fit them all on the train.

That does sound quite interesting and I'd like to know how or if we would ever find out if it happened.

 

[ainsworth74]

Just reading that a bunch of journalists (Ione Wells BBC correspondent tweet on BBC website) were travelling with Mr Sunak on the sleeper, plus security presumably. I’d be interested to know if GWR cancelled any bookings made by ordinary travellers in order to fit them all on the train.

I could be wrong but I think there's enough slack in the sleeper vehicles at GWR that they were probably able to rustle up an extra vehicle maybe even two if required for extra capacity.

 

[Cross City]

I’d be interested to know if GWR cancelled any bookings made by ordinary travellers in order to fit them all on the train.

Very unlikely I'd say. Would be poor publicity if that news got out.

 

[Kingham West]

It’s good to see him using rail, at last.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I could be wrong but I think there's enough slack in the sleeper vehicles at GWR that they were probably able to rustle up an extra vehicle maybe even two if required for extra capacity.

A video I’ve seen shows him boarding coach H. It’s not normally 8 cars on a Tuesday.

 

[DarloRich]

I saw pictures of him poking about in the cab of a locomotive after donning high viz

It’s good to see him using rail, at last.

he wont do it again!

 

[SuspectUsual]

A video I’ve seen shows him boarding coach H. It’s not normally 8 cars on a Tuesday.

Are the sleeper coaches lettered sequentially from A normally?

 

[Sleepy]

Are the sleeper coaches lettered sequentially from A normally?

A & B are seating. C is Lounge car. D onwards are sleeper cabins (A is also guards van) coach H normally only added for Friday night down and Sunday up trips.

 

[irp]

Just reading that a bunch of journalists (Ione Wells BBC correspondent tweet on BBC website) were travelling with Mr Sunak on the sleeper, plus security presumably. I’d be interested to know if GWR cancelled any bookings made by ordinary travellers in order to fit them all on the train.

Each TV crew might be as small as 3 people (Presenter, Producer, Camera Operator). Say we have BBC (known), ITN (covering ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 IIRC), Sky, that's only 9 bunks needed - If they didn't get relegated to the A&B coaches!

PM, plus a couple of close advisers, and a couple of security folks would add another 5-6, so I'd guess maybe just coaches G and H needed ?

 

[WesternLancer]

Rishi did a "David Cameron" and travelled on the Sleeper to Penzance last night. Harry Cole, The Sun political editor says it's like the 1950s with no charging points !! Another journo spouting rubbish .....

Indeed - he obv didn't go on it ! Perhaps The Sun's expense accounts only stretch to coach travel these days...

A variety of charging points in the cabins in pics shown on seat61

https://www.seat61.com/sleeper-to-cornwall.htm

• There are normal UK 3-pin plug sockets & USB power sockets in all sleeper compartments on the Night Riviera, built into the headboards of both the lower & upper berths. There are laptop & mobile charging points in the lounges at London Paddington, Truro & Penzance.
• The train now has free WiFi in the sleepers and the lounge car, since its refurbishment in 2018.

 

[irp]

Indeed - he obv didn't go on it ! Perhaps The Sun's expense accounts only stretch to coach travel these days...

A variety of charging points in the cabins in pics shown on seat61

https://www.seat61.com/sleeper-to-cornwall.htm

And in the club coach! Never seen the seated coaches, so not sure if they do or don't have charging points in there

 

[birchesgreen]

Rishi did a "David Cameron" and travelled on the Sleeper to Penzance last night. Harry Cole, The Sun political editor says it's like the 1950s with no charging points !! Another journo spouting rubbish .....

Well isn't that a surprise.

 

[embers25]

And in the club coach! Never seen the seated coaches, so not sure if they do or don't have charging points in there

They do at each seat. Though they are not the most comfortable seats (better than IEP) but still awful.

 

[Busaholic]

They do at each seat. Though they are not the most comfortable seats (better than IEP) but still awful.

BBC South West's Political Correspondent got his one question to Sunak in and managed to get SWT mixed up with GWR, not that Sunak would have been any the wiser!

Sunak 'bought breakfast' for the media at Sullivan's Diner opposite Penzance station, rated at no. 41 on Trip Advisor's local list. Bet they were impressed (not)

 

[eh_oh]

BBC says regular travellers were on the train too - I suppose it would be ridiculous for him to have a whole 8 car train to himself.

BBC post

Early this morning, myself and other journalists arrived in Penzance via a sleeper train from London with the prime minister.

This is the kind of scene you only see on an election campaign trail - a gaggle of journalists, the prime minister, his team, and a few bemused tourists, all disembarking a train early in the morning.

The morning small talk centred around how everyone slept.

"The top bunk was great," the prime minister told me, as he overheard us discussing which we chose.

(I also opted for top, more space, I think?)

"Bacon please, prime minister," we find ourselves saying as he hands out breakfast baps. The unique quirks of an election campaign.

 

[father_jack]

Extra coach was added at Long Rock on Monday.

 

[rower40]

I appear to have had a lucky escape! I was to have taken that train last night, but instead went west during the afternoon/evening of the previous day (1V60 direct from Derby to Bodmin Parkway - and mirabile dictu it didn't get cancelled at Plymouth), and stayed overnight in a fixed, rather than mobile, hotel room.

 

[irp]

Sunak 'bought breakfast' for the media at Sullivan's Diner opposite Penzance station, rated at no. 41 on Trip Advisor's local list. Bet they were impressed (not)

To be fair, it's where I head the moment I'm off the sleeper as well - as I suspect a fair few here have done!

 

[Dr Hoo]

Sunak 'bought breakfast' for the media at Sullivan's Diner opposite Penzance station, rated at no. 41 on Trip Advisor's local list. Bet they were impressed (not)

How many of numbers 1-40 are also adjacent to the station and open early for breakfast as a matter of interest? (Thinking of a trip down that way myself.)

 

[yorksrob]

BBC South West's Political Correspondent got his one question to Sunak in and managed to get SWT mixed up with GWR, not that Sunak would have been any the wiser!

Sunak 'bought breakfast' for the media at Sullivan's Diner opposite Penzance station, rated at no. 41 on Trip Advisor's local list. Bet they were impressed (not)

I had a nice breakfast there last week !

 

[SuspectUsual]

Sunak 'bought breakfast' for the media at Sullivan's Diner opposite Penzance station, rated at no. 41 on Trip Advisor's local list. Bet they were impressed (not)

Did he manage to make a contactless payment this time or did one of his carers have to step in?

 

[AlterEgo]

To be fair, it's where I head the moment I'm off the sleeper as well - as I suspect a fair few here have done!

I’ve done it. It’s actually not that bad!

 

[Sleepy]

BBC says regular travellers were on the train too - I suppose it would be ridiculous for him to have a whole 8 car train to himself.

BBC post

Amazed he didn't have a single berth cabin !!

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

Although it wasn’t the sleeper, I travelled with Boris Johnson on my train (I’m almost certain it was when he was PM (before Covid, but when there were no more HSTs)). There was security blocking off access to the end first class carriage of the IET, but no fuss other than that. They were obviously trying to keep it fairly quiet. At Taunton he was quietly ushered off through a side gate straight into a convoy of four by fours.

 

[irp]

Amazed he didn't have a single berth cabin !!

At a guess, Special Branch or Senior Advisor would have been occupying the lower berth

 

[Peter Mugridge]

To be fair, it's where I head the moment I'm off the sleeper as well - as I suspect a fair few here have done!

It's certainly the place I go to every time I'm off the Sleeper in Penzance. The food quality is high, the prices are very good and the staff very friendly and competent.