“Where were you in 2022?” Lynch asks Labour as RMT begins 48-hour walk out

Today continued the run of clashes between various broadcast media figures and Mick Lynch. This morning brought viewers of Good Morning Britain an interview by Richard Madeley of which Alan Partidge would have been proud. In a long monologue, the presenter described the strikes as “almost sadism” accused the RMT of “robbing” businesses of customers, branded Lynch “disingenuous” for pointing out that Christmas is next week, not today, and asked: “Whatever happened to Christmas kindness?”

“You’re just talking to yourself,” Lynch said, before telling viewers: “The strike action we’re taking at Christmas is during the Christmas close down where there will be no passenger services running after the evening of December 24th. So that does not impact on Christmas because the railway is closed down from the 25th to the 26th into the 27th – and that’s when we’re taking the action that you’re referring to. This week’s action was taken with three weeks’ notice, well in advance so that we could get negotiations going and we haven’t actually had strike action for eight weeks.”

RMT have begun a 48-hour strike. Around 40,000 are participating in walk-outs today, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Most train companies in Britain will be affected and passengers have been warned to “only travel if absolutely necessary”. Lynch told Sky News from the picket line today that he can “see a way through” where the union can “come to terms” the government’s “modernisation agenda” but stressed that any settlement must be “through agreement rather than imposition”.

Asked what support the union is getting from the Labour frontbench, Lynch acknowledged that the leadership is supporting their right to strike but argued “that doesn’t butter any parsnips”. He added: “The Labour frontbench aren’t on our picket lines, there are plenty of Labour MPs who are, but there will be plenty of working-class people who are asking when the election comes: where were you in 2022? What were you doing to support working-class people in their struggles?” As strikes continue over the next few weeks, it is not only the government that will face pressure to change its stance on the industrial action and the Labour leadership will be asked to consider this question more and more.

On LabourList for readers this morning, we have a piece from Labour MPs Zarah Sultana, Ian Byrne and Kim Johnson – ahead of their bill on free school meals for all being heard in parliament today. “Poverty and child hunger is a political choice. If we choose to get behind free school meals for all, we can help to end it,” they write. You can read the full piece here. Sign up to LabourList’s morning email for everything Labour, every weekday morning.