Rishi Sunak accuses Mick Lynch of being the “Grinch” who stole Christmas as he calls on RMT boss to call off “class war”
RISHI Sunak today accuses Mick Lynch of being a “Grinch” who wants to “steal Christmas” with his crippling rail strikes.
The PM said the RMT had caused “misery for millions” with their “cruelly timed” walkouts.
In his most outspoken attack on unions yet, he accused Mr Lynch of trying to hold Britain to ransom with his “class war”.
Writing in today’s Sun on Sunday, Rishi said families have had their Christmas plans wrecked while pubs are deserted because of walkouts.
He said: “The unions are causing misery for millions , with transport strikes in particular cruelly timed to hit at Christmas.”
He added: “Rail workers and border officers have been offered deals that are fair – and affordable to taxpayers.
“An increasing number of union members want a deal. They are tired of being foot soldiers in Mick Lynch’s class war.”
Caving to union demands for massive pay rises will kick Britain into an “inflation spiral” that will end up clobbering the poorest hardest.
Turning the screw on Sir Keir Starmer, he said Labour admit union pay demands are “unaffordable” but they will “still take union money and undermine the interests of the travelling public”.
He spoke out as Britain is hit by the biggest wave of industrial unrest since the 1980s.
Railway workers, hospital staff, border force guards and posties are all walking out in pay rows.
Rishi is preparing to announce new laws to clip the wings of unions next year to stop a repetition of the pain.
He will give ministers new Henry VIII style powers to force schools, hospitals and fire crews to lay on a minimum service during strikes.
[No set minimum threshold will be announced in law. Instead, Cabinet ministers will get delegated powers to decide what their threshold is – so it could be higher in hospitals than schools.
Rail insiders think Mr Lynch is on the ropes after calling a spate of strikes around Christmas – leaving members thousands of pounds out of pocket in lost wages.
One insider said: “Mick is bricking it that he has gone too far – he is the tribune of the people who is now wrecking Christmas. He is worried about being hated.”
Yesterday, Mick hit back at his critics. He fumed: “Clamping down on wages is the sort of tactic we had in the depression in the 1920s and 30s, which impoverished people. We don’t want to go back to that.”