Labour does back rail nationalisation, says shadow transport minister

Labour Party policy is to take the railways back into public ownership, the shadow rail minister has confirmed.

Tanmanjeet Dhesi told the BBC the "fragmented and privatised model is letting down the British people".

In July, Sir Keir Starmer said he would take a "pragmatic" not "ideological" approach to nationalisation.

This led to confusion about the party's position, although Sir Keir stressed rail was "different" as so much of it was already in public hands.

Mr Dhesi told an RMT union fringe meeting at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool: "We believe that under a Labour government we should be taking rail back into public ownership."

He added that this had been the party's policy since he became shadow rail minister in April 2020.

Labour committed to bringing rail, mail, water and energy into public ownership in its 2019 manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn.

However, in July, his successor as Labour leader Sir Keir said he wanted to take a "pragmatic" rather than "ideological" approach on nationalisation, adding that for most utilities "the answer is going to lie in regulating the market, changing the market, rather than simply taking things into public ownership".

However, he told the Mirror: "Rail is probably different from the others because so much of our rail is already in public ownership... Pragmatically, that is the situation, and it's going to be the situation for some time to come."

Network Rail, which runs railway infrastructure like tracks in England, Scotland and Wales, is publicly owned.

However, trains and most smaller stations are split into franchises run by different companies.

After the RMT event, Mr Dhesi told the BBC: "At the moment the failed, fragmented and privatised model is letting down the British people.

"We need to make sure that we have an affordable, accessible and reliable system, a simplified system, and the best way of achieving that, I think, is taking that back into public ownership."

Asked whether he wanted to see a bigger focus on rail nationalisation in the main conference hall, he said: "Many of those policies, they have been outlined. Many of those policies continue to be outlined in the main hall as well as in fringe meetings."

On Labour's support for striking rail workers, he said: "We support everybody's right to strike. We also support the fact that rail workers deserve a decent wage. They deserve those improved terms and conditions and there should not be any compulsory redundancies either."

Unions are calling for above-inflation pay increases to match the rising cost of living.

Asked if he supported these calls, Mr Dhesi said: "We are in favour of anybody who is fighting for a decent wage."

Some Labour MPs have showed their support for striking workers by joining picket lines.

However, Sir Keir's shadow transport minister was sacked after appearing at a rail picket line over the summer.

The official line was that Sam Tarry was sacked for "making up policy on the hoof" in an unauthorised media appearance but shadow ministers had been warned not to join picket lines.

Asked if he would be showing his support for striking workers on picket lines, Mr Dhesi said: "Many of us have actively spoken up on rail workers. We want to make sure that they get that decent wage and that we push this government to solve this crisis at the earliest opportunity."

"I have been on umpteen picket lines in my life and even in Slough when the railway disputes were there, I was there as well. I've done that in the past and I've done that recently as well," he added.

Speaking at the same event, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, who was greeted with cheers from the packed room, said: "I think public ownership is the way to go.

"I believe that the Labour Party, the rank and file at the Labour Party, believe that too. And what we've got to do is keep the top table in the conference, under manners, under pressure, not just on transport."

He also said the RMT union, which is not affiliated to the Labour, "will not be divided from our friends in the Labour Party".