Tory mayoral hopeful proposes Tube ban on loud music and phone calls

On 17 October 2026 the Standard reported that Festus Akinbusoye, one of four men bidding to become the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, had unveiled proposals to ban loudspeaker phone calls and playing music out loud on London's transport network. The former Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and current Westminster councillor said he would employ hundreds of new TfL guards to patrol the Underground and enforce the ban, as there were not enough TfL staff on hand to deal with the problem. He described loud music on the Tube as 'one of my biggest bugbears on the train' and said he recently confronted a passenger playing music. He also proposed automated announcements on trains reminding passengers not to disturb others with phone calls, music or videos. The move continues an ongoing political debate about on-board behaviour and would, he said, be enforced across buses as well as the Underground if he were to replace Labour's Sadiq Khan.