DIANE ABBOTT MP points out the false premises used by Rachel Reeves in the Spring Statement
Rail privatisation isn’t working
RMT president ALEX GORDON says privatised railways stand exposed as unable to deliver safe, reliable public transport, or the modal shift from road to rail that our planet needs

PRIVATE companies now run less of our rail network than at any time since Tory rail privatisation began in 1993.
Of 17 passenger train operators across Britain, seven are run by the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort or its equivalent in Wales and Scotland, three by foreign state-owned companies, and three by joint ventures that include foreign state-owned companies. Only four train operators are now run by private companies.
Rail privatisation was sold to the public as a way to bring competition, innovation and investment from the private sector. A total illusion, of course.
More from this author

RMT president ALEX GORDON exposes the government's bellicose foreign policy

ALEX GORDON details how Stop the War Coalition’s efforts have shaped the TUC’s stance, with motions calling for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel and workplace action for a ceasefire

ANGELO ALVES is a member of the political committee of the Portuguese Communist Party. He spoke to Alex Gordon on the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution of April 25 1974 about the legacy and the struggle of young workers and trade unionists today against Portugal’s latest right-wing government

The Star publishes the Karl Marx Graveside Oration delivered by ALEX GORDON at Highgate Cemetery yesterday