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Sadiq Khan branded Southern Rail “a total disgrace” today as he urged the unions to cancel next week’s strikes on the crippled commuter network.

But the Mayor also criticised the Government for “washing their hands of the crisis” and inflicting yet more misery on hundreds of thousands of passengers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and south London.

All services are expected to be halted by the strikes next Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday by the Aslef train drivers’ union.

Trains are also expected to stop running earlier than usual on Monday and start later on Thursday because of the knock-on effects of the walkouts, effectively bringing disruption for an entire working week.

It comes after the operator, warning of more disruption over Christmas and New Year, failed in its High Court attempt to stop the action. It had claimed that the walkout would, under EU law, unlawfully restrict freedom of movement.

No new peace talks are planned and both the Aslef and RMT unions retain a mandate to order more strikes after the current wave of industrial action comes to an end.Mr Khan, whose bid to take over London’s suburban rail franchises was rejected by ministers this week, criticised all sides in the dispute.

He told the Standard: “The ongoing chaos on Southern rail services is a total disgrace that is badly failing commuters who just want to get to work and back.

“The unions should cancel the strikes and get back around the negotiating table, but the Government are washing their hands of this crisis and abandoning commuters in the process.”

The Mayor contrasted the ongoing strikes on Southern services with Transport for London’s approach “which is clearly working” as the unions cancelled strikes planned on the Tube this week.

His comments came as Southern services suffered major disruption yet again today — this time due to the on-going overtime ban by hundreds of trains drivers.

The effect of the ban, which is in addition to next week’s full walkout, was far worse than forecast. There was no Gatwick Express service between Brighton and the airport and many Metro trains were cancelled.

Southern reported that all its routes suffered disruption — including the main Brighton line into Victoria — to varying degrees.

Mick Whelan, leafer of Aslef leader, said: “Now the company should do the right thing and sit down with us and negotiate – properly, sensibly and in good faith — to do a deal for the benefit of passengers, staff and, yes, the company. Just like ScotRail did with us earlier this year.”

The crux of the Southern dispute is how many staff operate a train. The unions insist two, the driver and a second trained person.

In the Scotrail deal it was agreed that all future driver-only operated trains would carry two members of staff. If a second member was not available then the train would not run.

Southern says under its changes the “vast majority” of trains would operate with two people. But it is insisting that in “exceptional circumstances” if the second member of staff is not available then the train would operate with just the driver.