Call for inquiry over foreign state-owned firms taking over UK rail services Unemployed in Tyne and Wear
UNTyne&Wear brings us the following, originally in the Hartlepool Mail:
Easington MP Grahame Morris has called on Parliament to launch an inquiry into foreign state-owned companies owning UK rail firms.
Mr Morris said British commuters, who suffer the highest rail prices in Europe, are subsidising foreign passengers.
MPs from Parliament’s rail group have called for an urgent inquiry.
It follows a decision to award the Scotrail franchise to Dutch state-owned firm Abellio, and also research showed 20 of the UK’s 27 private rail services are owned by foreign state-owned or backed railways.
Mr Morris said British commuters have experienced substandard services for decades adding:
“Often the very same operators that are using British commuters as cash cows are foreign state-owned companies that then hold down fares and improve services back in their own countries.
“That British commuters are expected to both suffer the failure of rail privatisation as well as subsidise commuters in Holland, Germany and France adds insult to injury.”
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How many rail companies do we own or manage in other countries? All UK assets in the UK (and that includes national assets which have been sold over our heads) should be returned to ownership and management of UK citizens and that must be a priority when Labour returns.
I agree (and I wish the rest of the Labour Party did too). As for owning companies in other countries – if they aren’t owned by the UK government, then they won’t do the vast majority of UK citizens any good! Having UK-based shareholders in other countries’ companies won’t benefit the rest of the UK at all because the trickle-down effect does not exist in real life. I’m sure I’m preaching to the gallery as far as you’re concerned, Rupert, but it needed to be stated.