Keir Starmer is expected to discipline at least five Labor leaders who defied his orders and appeared on RMT picket lines on Tuesday in solidarity with striking railway workers.
In the first three days of labor action, the Labor leader had ordered his team not to appear alongside striking workers to show “leadership” amid fears that Labor would be portrayed by Conservatives as responsible for the strike. march of the RMT.
But Starmer is now facing a test of his own leadership, after five leaders tweeted photos of themselves alongside the RMT strikers. They included shadow minister Alex Sobel, Labor whit Nav Mishra and three private parliamentary secretaries.
Starmer is not expected to decide how to discipline the stray MPs until the strike ends this weekend, but his allies suggested he didn’t mind being lenient.
Several leaders privately expressed their exasperation at what they saw as an unnecessary internal dispute that has put the focus on Labor divisions.
A shadow cabinet member, who predicted Starmer would step down from the rebel deputies’ dismissal, called his decision to ban picket line leaders “dumb.”
Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar ignored Starmer’s restrictions and visited his local RMT picket line in Glasgow, while some shadow ministers found creative ways to declare their support for workers on strike without breaking the leader’s ban on appearing in person.
Starmer MP Angela Rayner, who was a union representative before entering parliament and has often appeared on picket lines, posted what appeared to be a very carefully worded tweet, saying that “workers have not left without option “.
Shadow Transport Minister Sam Tarry tweeted a photo of himself at another recent RMT protest, with the message: “Workers do not make the decision to strike lightly … Solidarity with workers who they risk their livelihoods for a better tomorrow. “
Homeless Shadow Minister Sarah Owen shared the link to the RMT strike fund, tweeting: “People never decide to take action lightly, but I totally support it. the right to do so. “
Starmer did not make a public appearance on Tuesday, but a Labor source said he maintained his decision to ban the attendance of leaders, reflecting his confidence. “Keir’s Labor Party is on the side of the public, and our decisions are driven by that. Not everyone will like it, and we are prepared for that, but that will show that we are a serious operation, a serious government waiting and so we will win the election, “the source said.
A loyal member of the shadow cabinet said Starmer’s position reflected the need to show that a Labor government would be able to act as an honest agent in future labor disputes, rather than take sides. they lamented the “self-inflicted” dispute that has taken place. it was produced.
A quick survey by Savanta ComRes on Tuesday showed that 58% of the public believed that the railway strike was justified, given some background, including the fact that Network Rail had said modernization was necessary, but the RMT argued that the planned 2,500 job cuts could lead to accidents. most likely.
Two-thirds of respondents thought the government had not done enough to prevent strikes, and 49% said the same of the RMT.
Many Labor MPs also attended picket lines on Tuesday, most of them members of the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
A spokesman for the left-wing campaign group Momentum said: “The Labor Party was founded to represent the interests of the workers. But under the leadership of Keir Starmer, the party has lost its way.”
As Starmer struggled with his party’s position on the strikes, a senior Conservative MP said he was lukewarm in the face of government attempts to paint the opposition as a supporter of the rail strike.
“Personally I’m not convinced that calling it a‘ labor strike ’and everything else really achieves a lot, but at the same time I don’t think what Grant Shapps says makes much difference,” he said. “The problem is that if the strike affects people badly, they will blame the government anyway.”
Meanwhile, ministers are expected to present legislation to parliament on Thursday that will allow companies to use temporary workers to replace striking staff.
Downing Street sees the controversial move, condemned by the Trade Union Congress as an anti-union action beyond that presented by Margaret Thatcher, as a key response to the railroad strike and the threat of action by other public sector workers, all and that it remains unclear how agency staff could replace qualified employees.
The government’s optimistic approach to the strike was emphasized by Boris Johnson’s comments at the start of Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting, in which he condemned the RMT’s “union barons”. The march was “wrong and unnecessary,” the prime minister added.