Lawyers have not been instructed to look into a judicial review of the government’s decision over Beam Park station.

That is the message from Havering Council leader Cllr Damian White, who told the Recorder that although the local authority had “looked at every option possible” to make sure the project went ahead, it is not considering legal action against the Department for Transport.

This comes after a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday, January 11, when Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas said he had been told that the council had told its lawyers to “consider” such a legal challenge.

Last autumn, it emerged that the necessary departmental backing had never been secured by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Havering Council, throwing the station - promised for years as part of a £1billion regeneration scheme - into jeopardy.

Cllr White added: “No final decision has been made by the government department and we are working with the GLA and other partners to make sure that when one is made, it is in favour of a new station.”