Emily Thornberry would have lost her seat under the AV system

MP Emily Thornberry has backed the £12billion Crossrail 2 plan and said Islington commuters have worse travel conditions than sheep.

If it goes ahead, the new underground railway would pass through the heart of Islington and help ease congestion on the Underground line between Finsbury Park and King’s Cross.

Currently, the line is one of the most congested in the network with more than four people per square metre on some trains.

Speaking at the House of Commons last week, the MP for Islington South said: “It is illegal to transport sheep at more than three per square metre. If Islington Tube users were herded like sheep their travelling conditions would be better.

“Islington has some of the most congested tube lines in London so I was disappointed to learn that even after the planned billions of pounds of investment have been spent upgrading the Northern Line, new Thameslink connections and Crossrail 1, the Underground network in Islington will still squash more than four people per square metre into the trains.

“That’s why we need Crossrail 2. It will ease that congestion and make the lives of our commuters more bearable”.

Crossrail 2 was put forward by business lobby group London First to handle the expected 1.5 million growth in population and 700,000 jobs created in central London over the next 20 years.