Shapps says it is ‘crazy’ to suggest Tories want rail strikes to go ahead
Grant Shapps has said it is “crazy” to suggest the Tories want rail unions to go on strike this week, as Labour accused the government of encouraging the walkouts to go ahead to stoke division.
The transport secretary said the strikes of 40,000 rail workers due to affect services across much of the country from Monday night were “unnecessary” and a result of trade union leaders “gunning for” a fight. He accused the RMT of planning to “punish millions of innocent people”.
However, Keir Starmer on Sunday accused Shapps of being the one who was stoking the dispute, after the government refused talks with the unions and rail employers.
“They want the country to grind to a halt so they can feed off the division. Instead of spending their time this week around the negotiating table, they are designing attack ads,” the Labour leader, said.
“Instead of grown-up conversations to take the heat out of the situation, they are pouring petrol on the fire. Instead of bringing people together in the national interest, they are stoking division in their political interest.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday Politics show, Shapps dismissed the claim that the Tories want rail strikes to go ahead in order to sow division.
“In what sort of crazy world would anyone want to see our transport sector grind to a halt,” he said, highlighting students unable to attend exams, people likely to miss hospital appointments and struggling to get to work.
He insisted it was an “11th hour stunt” by the union, “suddenly coming forward and saying ‘We need to negotiate with the government now’ even though this last month they told me they wouldn’t be seen dead negotiating with the government.”
However, Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT, said the government
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