Boris Johnson has not 'lifted a finger' to stop train strikes, says Sir Keir Starmer in PMQs clash
The Labour leader attacks the PM for not holding meetings with the unions, but Boris Johnson says his opponent does not have the "gumption" to stand up to the RMT.
Wednesday 22 June 2022 14:00, UK
Sir Keir Starmer has attacked the prime minister for failing to hold meetings with unions to stop the national rail strike this week.
During Prime Minister's Questions, the Labour leader said Boris Johnson had not "held a conversation or lifted a finger" to stop the industrial action that brought the network to a halt on Tuesday - with disruption set to continue.
But the PM hit back at Sir Keir, saying Labour "hasn't even got the gumption to speak out against rail strikes" because of the funding the party receives from unions.
Politics Hub: PM told to get the trains running
The RMT union held the first of three strike days on Tuesday, with two more to come on Thursday and Saturday unless talks between them, National Rail and train operators break the deadlock.
Previous talks collapsed after the union rejected a pay offer of 2%, plus 1% linked to modernisation, but Sky News now understands an offer of 4% is being mooted, linked again to the reform of the railway.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has continued to keep out of the negotiations, saying it was down to the unions and train operators to resolve the dispute.
During PMQs, Sir Keir asked Mr Johnson how many meetings both he and Mr Shapps had held with the unions about the dispute.
The PM said the government was "doing everything" it could to prevent the strikes, but echoed the transport secretary's comments, saying: "It is up to the railway companies to negotiate - that is their job."
The Labour leader replied: "There you have it. The prime minister of this country and his transport secretary haven't attended a single meeting, held a conversation or lifted a finger to stop these strikes.
"Rather than blame everyone else, why doesn't he do his job, get round the table and get the trains running?"
He added: "Can't [the PM] hear the country screaming at him, 'get on with your job'?."
Mr Johnson said the government was trying to cut the cost of transport as the country faced rising costs - including a 40-year high inflation figure of 9.1%.
And he said Sir Keir was "standing with the strikers and lifting the cost of transport for everybody".
Mr Johnson added: "This is the government that loves the railways [and] invests in the railways. What we have got to do is modernise our railways.
"It is a disgrace that when we are planning to make sure that you don't have ticket offices that sell fewer than one ticket every hour, that [Sir Keir] had 25 Labour MPs out on the picket line... backing the strikers, while we back the strivers."