A LIVERPOOL MP traded blows with Gordon Brown in a furious clash about the need to cap sky-high train fares during the recession.

Louise Ellman, the Labour Riverside MP, repeatedly interrup-ted the Prime Minister when she felt he was being evasive about what could be done to keep down the cost of rail travel.

The five-minute tussle clearly annoyed Mr Brown, who is used to MPs on the liaison select committee treating him with the utmost respect – to the frustration of many Parliamentary watchers.

The Prime Minister was striving to keep his calm as he finally told Mrs Ellman: “I’m pleased that you are now allowing me to make the point that I was trying to make . . . ”

The exchange followed growing criticism of the big train companies which hiked unregulated fares by an average of 7% at the start of the year, with some prices rising by much more.

Virgin, which runs the flagship West Coast line from Liverpool to London, is among the rail opera-tors accused of unfairly penali-sing recession-hit passengers.

Yesterday, Mrs Ellman alerted Mr Brown to the anger of passen-gers confronted with 7% fare hikes when the retail price index is a little over 1%, asking him: “Do you think that is reasonable?”

In reply, Mr Brown attempted to look at the longer pattern of fare levels, pointing out that “over the last 10 years, increases have on average been below inflation”.

But Mrs Ellman leapt in to tell him: “Our concern is the future and that isn’t the case now.” When the Prime Minister started to say: “If I may say so, for the future . . .”, the Riverside MP interrupted him three further times.

The pair also locked horns over rumours that up to five train companies have been “red-lighted” by the Department for Transport (DfT) because falling passenger numbers had slashed revenue. Mrs Ellman said: “That should be of concern to you, surely? Will the Government give them more money or let them cut services to the public?”

The Prime Minister insisted no ministers had discussed cutting services, but his attempt at flattery – “you are more expert on it than I am . . . ” – failed to cut through the ice.

Mrs Ellman sits on the liaison committee as the chairwoman of the Commons transport select committee, which is carrying out an investigation into the cost of fares.

Her predecessor as chairwoman – the late Gwyneth Dunwoody MP – enjoyed a reputation as Parlia-ment’s most fearsome inquisitor, striking terror into witnesses who appeared before her.

Many ministers and transport bosses believed they would enjoy an easier ride under the new “transport champion” – until yesterday.