Tunnel vision: Livingstone set for court re-match

Ken Livingstone has won a second High Court legal battle with the government.

The London mayor succeeded on Tuesday in overturning an injunction that blocked the release of an edited version of a Deloitte and Touche report on the finances of the government's public-private partnership plans for the London Underground.

The court found that information in the report would be of "critical importance" to the public, though the information cannot be made public for a further 21 days while London Transport considers whether to appeal against the decision.

Despite a High Court ruling that he could not block the government's plans to allow private contractors to run the tube, the London mayor announced his second High Court bid after Bob Kiley, the mayor's transport commissioner who was sacked by the government as the London Regional Transport's chairman, was prevented by an injunction from releasing details of the report.

Kiley claimed it raises "crucial concerns" about whether the deal to bring private companies in to run the Tube offers taxpayers value for money.

In an earlier round of what has become an extraordinary battle of wills, London Underground won a last-minute injunction preventing Kiley and the mayor from releasing details of the report at a news conference.The latest legal battle follows Monday's ruling that it was for the government, not the mayor, "to have the last word" on the public-private partnership. Livingstone is still considering with his legal team whether to mount a legal appeal.

London Underground argued that the injunction was brought to avoid disclosing "sensitive" information that would affect the bidding process. The case was heard by Mr Justice Sullivan, who ruled on the legal challenge which failed yesterday.