Labour’s plans to fix railways will lead to more strikes, warns Transport Secretary Mark Harper

LABOUR’S proposal to fix the railways will lead to more strikes, warns the Transport Secretary.

Mark Harper tore into Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to renationalise the entire network within five years.

He said: “Labour would take us back to square one and the bad old days of beer and sandwiches between government and union barons — handing them more power and resulting in worse services for passengers.”

Labour governments often invited union bosses round for cosy chats at No10 in the 1970s.

The era was renowned for its crippling strikes, including 1978-9’s Winter of Discontent.

Unions were so powerful that they would grind the whole country to a halt.

Cabinet minister Mr Harper sounded the alarm after Labour announced it will “reset industrial relations” on the railways, should they win the General Election.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh hit back at Mr Harper, and claimed that Labour will not be afraid of tough negotiations.

She said: “This is abject nonsense from the party who provoked the first national strike in a generation and dragged it into its second year because of their refusal to negotiate, costing the taxpayer millions and causing misery for passengers.

“We will reset industrial relations, but we will not shy away from the tough negotiations that are needed to deliver a railway that works for passengers, taxpayers and respects its workers.

“In Labour-run Wales, strikes have been avoided entirely thanks to a constructive approach to industrial relations."