RAIL union RMT exposed Lord Ashcroft today as the majority owner of a private firm profiting from outsourced railway workers.

The Tory peer owns 68 per cent of Carlisle Support Services, which provides revenue protection and gate line staff to Northern Trains, via a nominee shareholder in Leeds.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Lord Ashcroft has used offshore trusts and non-dom status in Belize to shelter wealth from UK tax while holding major stakes in UK infrastructure services.

“He has no business being allowed to run any British company, let alone one that superexploits outsourced railway workers.

“These companies are exploiting our members and ripping off passengers and the taxpayer by extracting wealth from the country and paying it out in dividends abroad.”

Carlisle Support Services staff recently took industrial action over pay, with RMT also accusing management of bullying, harassment and intimidation.

The union is staging a day of action at Manchester Piccadilly station tomorrow as it steps up its campaign to bring back services in-house.

It warned of rampant profiteering, noting that firms such as caterers SSP/Rail Gourmet have paid out £544 million in dividends since 2018.

Mr Dempsey added: “With Great British Railways on the way, the government has a duty to railway workers and the public to ensure the end of the superexploitation of cleaners, gate-line staff, revenue teams, dispatchers, catering and security, making sure they are brought in-house as part of a fully integrated, publicly owned railway.”

Carlisle Support Services was contacted for comment.