After Dinner Speakers: Alastair Morton, Paul Burden, George Stephanopoulos

Sir Alistair Morton, former chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, presided over the most difficult of times for Railtrack including its eventual fall into administration. He has questioned whether private investors will be prepared to stump up the cash needed to turn the UK rail network around and has recognised that services would not be satisfactory without more funding. A sometimes-controversial figure, Sir Alistair has much to tell about Railtrack privatisation and relations with the sacked minister Stephen Byers