Labour promises to renationalise English railways

The Labour conference has formally committed itself to the renationalisation of the English rail network as it pledged to oppose another round of “unneeded, unwanted and ill-thought-through privatisation”.

Labour’s national executive committee agreed a statement that paves the way for the rolling renationalisation of the rail network.

“Conference opposes another round of unneeded, unwanted and ill-thought-through privatisation,” it said. “We believe there is a better way.”

Source: Labour promises to renationalise English railways | UK news | The Guardian

So Labour is returning to policies of nationalisation, to protect British assets. This is a welcome change from the neoliberal policies pursued by the party during the late 1990s and 2000s.

But the Grauniad, reporting the new policy direction, couldn’t resist another dig at Jeremy Corbyn. The report said the decision was “a significant boost for the party leader… who has suffered a series of setbacks over the EU and Trident”.

Watching his speech today, you could tell he wasn’t a man suffering from setbacks!

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8 thoughts on “Labour promises to renationalise English railways

  1. Joan Edington

    Sorry if I’m being boring again here Mike but I didn’t hear the whole of Corbyn’s speech. Did he actually use the words “England’s railways”? As I mentioned in a previous post, railways are a reserved area so Scotland can do nothing about nationalising their own part of the network. Is this a slip of the tongue (allegedly), usually reserved for BBC sports commentators who regularly say things like England has won something, when the team was GB? Does he really intend to re-nationalise ONLY England’s network and not allow Scotland the same privilege (which the Scottish government have said they would do if railways were devolved)? Maybe the Grauniad has misquoted him? I would like to think so but I have my doubts.

    1. Mike Sivier Post author

      It’s very interesting that he didn’t!
      He said: “I want to thank Lillian Greenwood, our Shadow Transport Secretary for the speed and skill with which she has moved policy on the future of our railways forward.
      “It was wonderful to see Conference this morning agree our new plan to bring private franchises into public ownership as they expire.
      “Labour’s policy now is to deliver the fully integrated, publicly owned railway the British people want and need. That’s the Labour policy, that’s the one we’ll deliver on.”
      So it seems you’ve found another Grauniad inaccuracy – unless it turns out that the one-third of rail franchise that a Labour government would have the chance to renationalise between 2020 and 2025 are all in England. That’s the only interpretation of his speech and the Guardian story that makes sense.
      Well spotted. It was late when I was putting this story up, and it passed me by.

    1. Mike Sivier Post author

      See my response to Joan Edington.
      It seems the Guardian misinterpreted – or misreported – what was said. I wonder why?

  2. NMac

    As one who well remembers British Rail, right back to the 1960s, I would say that it may have had its faults (but what organisation doesn’t), but British Rail, on roughly half the subsidy that the so-called private operators receive,ran a very good service. Tories continually continually harp on about “cost”, but they never mention the fact that the railways today are, in comparative terms, receiving far more in subsidies than British Rail ever did..

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