'Very good' pay deal will stop Olympics strike, claims Boris

Boris Johnson said a pay deal with the Tube drivers' unions is "on the table" and strike action during the Olympics is "vanishingly unlikely".

Mr Johnson said Tube staff would not want to "spoil" the Olympics by striking and added that "we are having talks" about a deal during the Games.

The Mayor made the comments at the Talk London debate in Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, as he faced questions from the public.

The event, hosted by LBC presenter Nick Ferrari, threatened to descend into chaos at one point as a heckler had to be restrained by security guards.

Asked about a no-strike agreement with the unions, Mr Johnson said: "That was not something that the union leadership was willing to accept from the outset." He added that he would like to see the Government act to stop transport systems being "held to ransom by a small minority of the union leadership".

Mr Johnson refused to give details of the pay deal but said: "It is a positive, progressive one. It is a very good deal."