An editorial in The Guardian in January 1983 described it as 'a really rotten report', while The Glasgow Herald reported that its publication 'attracted almost universal condemnation' causing David Howell, the Secretary of State for Transport, to immediately acknowledge that the Thatcher Government was unlikely to accept any of the 'more extreme options' it outlined. Meanwhile, leader of the opposition Michael Foot called for the report to 'be "strangled" as soon as possible' and the leader of the National Union of Railwaymen also opposed the report which he described as 'a disaster'.
A critical editorial in The Guardian in January 1983 labeled the report a "rotten" one, while The Glasgow Herald reported that its release sparked widespread disapproval. This led to Secretary of State for Transport David Howell acknowledging that the Thatcher government was unlikely to accept any of the report's more radical recommendations. Opposition leader Michael Foot called for the report to be suppressed quickly, and the leader of the National Union of Railwaymen also condemned it as a "disaster".