Former chief secretary to the treasury, Danny Alexander, has claimed Conservative ministers in the previous Government ignored calls to rezone Kingston and Surbiton stations despite pressure from MP Edward Davey.

The ex-Liberal Democrat minister visited Surbiton on Tuesday afternoon, and backed Mr Davey's claims that former Chancellor George Osborne blocked his plans to move the borough's two main stations into zone five.

Surrey Comet:

Mr Davey and Mr Alexander discuss rezoning at the Pickled Pantry cafe in Surbiton

Mr Osborne claimed on a visit to Kingston last week that Mr Davey had never brought the proposal to him depspite spending five years in the cabinet. 

Mr Davey, who is bidding for a fifth successive term as Kingston and Surbiton MP, who said the failure to rezone the stations was a "political decision".

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But Mr Alexander said it was "simply because Conservative ministers have not wanted to".

He said: "I mean the Chancellor and other Conservatives too.

"This has been something that has been on the agenda a number of times, we have discussed it around the table."

Mr Alexander, whose own Parliamentary seat in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is under threat from the SNP, said he first heard of the rezoning campaign in early 2014.

He had discussed the issue with Mr Davey years before, he added.

Mr Alexander said: "I can’t see how someone who would claim to be for working people would want to block this.

"I think that’s a shame for the thousands and thousands of people here.

"Ed has convinced me of the justice of the case of rezoning here given the distance issues and that these stations are in zone six by accident effectively."