The “extraordinary bravery” of the LNER worker who intervened during a mass stabbing on a train on Saturday has been hailed by his company.

Samir Zitouni, 48, also known as Sam, was last night fighting for his life after trying to stop a knife attacker who targeted passengers on a busy train.

He was injured while trying to protect passengers during the mass stabbing on Saturday’s 6.25pm LNER service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross.

Deputy Chief Constable of British Transport Police (BTP), Stuart Cundy, said CCTV from the train showed the man’s actions “were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives”.

The train operator said he has been a “valued member” of staff for over 20 years, working on board as a customer experience host.

David Horne, managing director at LNER, said: “In a moment of crisis, Sam did not hesitate as he stepped forward to protect those around him.

“His actions were incredibly brave, and we are so proud of him, and of all our colleagues who acted with such courage that evening. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Sam and his family. We will continue to support them and wish him a full and speedy recovery.”

His family also shared a message, thanking those who had shown the “overwhelming support” they have received and calling him a “hero”.

They said: “We have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and kindness shown to Sam, and by the many well wishes for his recovery.

“The care provided by the hospital and the support from his colleagues at LNER has been incredible. We are immensely proud of Sam and his courage. The police called him a hero on Saturday evening, but to us – he’s always been a hero.”

Police investigation

A man, Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed abode, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder over the mass stabbing and another attack earlier at an east London station.

British Transport Police (BTP) said Williams had been charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection with an incident on a Docklands Light Railway train in the early hours of 1 November.

A victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife on a train at Pontoon Dock station, the force added.

Read more:
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The suspect left the location before police arrived.

Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said police in Cambridgeshire were investigating whether the same man committed “further offences” before.

British Transport Police are also investigating three other incidents which they believe are linked to the train attack and London stabbing.

Those incidents, which took place on Friday and Saturday, are:

• 7.10pm, Friday: The stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in Peterborough city centre. The teenager was taken to hospital with minor injuries and has since been discharged

• Around 7.10pm, Friday: A man with a knife entered a barbers in the Fletton area of Peterborough. This was not reported to the police until two hours later

• 9.25am, Saturday: A man was seen with a knife again at the Fletton barbers. The police were called while the man was at the scene and officers arrived within 18 minutes but were unable to find the man.

Williams was remanded in custody on Monday when he appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.

To understand why Rachel Reeves stood up at 8am in Downing Street in an unprecedented news conference to foreshadow the budget, you need to understand the depth of the problems facing the chancellor.

In 22 days, she must perform the biggest U-turn it is possible for a chancellor to make.

She must hike taxes to the tune of tens of billions of pounds, having promised in the election manifesto that this would not be necessary, and reiterated this promise under a year ago after an initial £40bn of rises.

Not many inhabitants of Number 11 would stay in post if they had to make such a pivot.

But Sir Keir Starmer cannot lose her and know for sure that he also stays in place.

So Ms Reeves is battling for her credibility – and ultimately the survival of this government. The stakes are high.

Politics latest: Reeves refuses to rule out manifesto-breaking tax rises

So back to this morning. Ever since the summer, those in Westminster have known tax rises are on the way in the autumn budget. A Treasury source told me that pitch-rolling for the budget began in July – yet their issue is that to date, almost no-one had noticed.

The subject of the budget was an omerta as recently as the Labour conference a month ago – it simply wasn’t on the agenda in Liverpool.

The first public acknowledgement that she was looking at taxes was in an interview with me on Sky News three weeks ago. She has intermittently revisited the subject subsequently, but quite bluntly, the public haven’t yet noticed.

As recently as last week, people in the Treasury were acknowledging to me that the public are as yet unprepared for the tax shock expected on the scale on 26 November.

So this morning’s event was designed to be shock and awe – an 8am news conference is designed to jolt Westminster and the viewing public to attention, because inside the Treasury they are “desperate” – their words – to get the public watching.

The format allows her to look in control, like a stateswoman in Downing Street making arguments on her terms, even though these are arguments she has been forced into.

So the job of this morning was to educate the public that tax rises are coming, but also put them on notice that this could involve a breach of manifesto promises by raising one of income tax, national insurance, corporation tax or VAT – and then to try and lay the blame anywhere but at the feet of this government.

She also wants to give some hope – by giving a sense of what priorities she would protect.

So what to make of the arguments she made?

‘The impact of Tory austerity, their botched Brexit deal and the pandemic on Britain’s productivity is worse than feared’

Is it really all the Tories fault?

Ms Reeves made an argument today about how lower growth is responsible for Britain’s economic ills, and listed causes with a long tale going back many years for it. This is true, but isn’t strictly the reason for her problems at this budget.

On 26 November, she must fill a £20bn-£30bn “black hole” – that’s the extent to which she is in on course to breach her own self-imposed borrowing limits, known as fiscal rules.

Many of the components of the black hole cannot be put at the door of the Tories. Here’s why:

She must find £10bn to account for policy decisions the government has been pushed into – a failure to push through welfare reform, a U-turn on winter fuel payments, a likely rollover of fuel duty.

She is likely to have to find a further £5bn for decisions she is likely to take – scrapping of the two-child benefit cap, help for energy bills and an emergency injection for redundancy bills and strike coverage costs.

So £15bn of the black hole cannot be blamed on the Tories.

A further £2bn-£4bn for additional debt interest costs is a consequence of the higher borrowing just since the March spring statement – again not the Tories’ fault – and also wants £10bn to give herself a bigger buffer to exit the doom loop.

Ms Reeves has greater scope to argue that the productivity review has longer-term causes, but this is likely to be offset by better wage news, and there is an argument that Labour could have foreseen the productivity downgrade before the election because the Office for Budget Responsibility figures were out of line with other forecasters.

So this is a tricky case to sustain, even though the government has no choice but to make it.

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‘Protecting our NHS, reducing our national debt and improving the cost of living’

The news is grim – but this is the chancellor’s promise of what she is going to prioritise. But what does this amount to?

NHS: I understand this is not a promise of new money for waiting lists in this budget. Ms Reeves is actually making a political argument about the need to not U-turn on last year’s £22bn a year NHS investment – although the public may not hear it.

Cost of living: Partly this is an argument about investment already made in things like breakfast clubs. But with CPI inflation at 4.1%, it’s a major concern – but not one that can be tackled without government spending many billions. There will be some help for energy bills, but not the tens of billions that Liz Truss put towards such schemes. So this risks disappointment.

Reducing debt: It is not about to go down. Her fiscal rules mean she is going to be reducing debt as a percentage of GDP – and even then, only debt on some things, as the fiscal rules spell out some exemptions. So the actual amount we borrow from the markets will continue to grow.

Does it work?

Today is about saying with a louder megaphone things we already knew. She declined to say whether ultimately she will break the manifesto, or what will happen.

She has, however, candidly started a conversation that needed to begin.

An 11-year-old boy who died after being hit by a train at a level crossing was probably looking at a video on his phone at the time of the accident, investigators have said.

Jaiden Shehata was walking to school when he was fatally struck at the Bourneview footpath crossing near Kenley, south London, in January, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

Jaiden, who was a pupil at the nearby Riddlesdown Collegiate secondary school, was hit by a Southern train travelling at about 50mph.

The train driver sounded the horn and applied the emergency brake when he saw the boy start to cross the railway but, though he looked up, he did not have time to move clear before the train reached the crossing.

Jaiden, who had used the crossing regularly since starting at Riddlesdown Collegiate the previous September, suffered fatal injuries after being hit by the train, which stopped about 200m further along the line.

The child did not realise the danger he was in, probably because he was “distracted” by his phone, the board concluded.

CCTV showed Jaiden’s coat hood was pulled over his head and, as he walked towards the crossing, he was looking ahead and down at a “glowing object,” almost certain to be the illuminated screen of a phone in his hands.

Analysis of the device suggested a video clip was playing at the time.

The site does not have warning lights or barriers, which the RAIB said is “in common with many footpath crossings”.

Six near misses

Users are expected to stop, look and listen for approaching trains, and “make their own decision about whether or not it is safe to cross”, investigators said.

There were six near misses at the crossing between November 2018 and February 2023, according to a Network Rail risk assessment in May 2023.

A single fatality in March 2020 was thought to be a deliberate act.

Giving rail safety lessons to schoolchildren and making dangerous areas at level crossings more noticeable, particularly to people who may be distracted, were among the recommendations in the RAIB’s report.

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It also suggested different ways of lowering the risk were needed for younger users.

A Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) spokesperson said: “Ensuring safety at level crossings remains a key priority for RSSB and the rail industry, and we will be working collaboratively to consider and implement the RAIB’s recommendations.”

Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex route director for Network Rail, said the crossing was temporarily closed in August and miniature stop lights will be installed next month.

These will “improve safety by providing a clear signal and warning sound to let people know when it is safe to cross,” she said.