Mayor of London Boris Johnson has told LBC Radio that plans for a 24-hour Tube service in the city are no longer a top priority putting doubts on whether the service will ever happen.

Following months of union negotiations and striking, Boris Johnson said that the 24-hour Tube service was not “absolutely critical” to the city, as BBC News reports. Plans were originally set for the service to begin in September but were delayed and when asked for a new date in the interview, Johnson said: “I’ve got to tell you this is something that the city of London has done without for 150 years. What I won’t do is pay an unreasonable price for it, which Londoners would feel in their fares.

“There’s a very good deal on the table. I just hope that members of the Tube unions will get a chance to look at it. No-one will work more hours than they do today. Drivers have the same number of weekends as now.”

The 24-hour tube service was due to be introduced on the Jubilee, Victoria, Piccadilly, Central and Northern Lines, but was delayed after unions launched strike action over a number of disagreements including their members being forced by TfL to take on night shifts. The plans were also announced alongside the closure of ticket offices which could result in a number of job losses.