Rail strikes

Britain's railways are a proud part of our history, but they are struggling to keep pace with the needs of passengers post-pandemic – and are too often hamstrung by the antiquated and outdated work practices enforced by the trade unions. 

During the pandemic alone the government delivered £16 billion of emergency funding to keep the railways running – equivalent to £600 for every family in the UK or £160,000 for every rail worker. This level of subsidy is unsustainable, and shows why reform is needed now. 

But instead of working with the government to reform our railways to make them fit for the future – Labour have chosen to side with their trade union paymasters by refusing to condemn their reckless strike action which starts today.

These strikes will hit millions of families in the pocket, costing them more to get to work. They will harm the economy, costing British businesses millions of pounds. And they will disrupt vital services like operations on the NHS and GCSE exams.

This Conservative Government is standing up for rail users and are on the side of the travelling public. Labour must stop playing political games, condemn these strikes now, and get behind our efforts to make our railways fit for the future.

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