Last month the Labour party moved two debates in the Commons pushing for Government to keep running the important East Coast Main Line (ECML) rail franchise between London King’s Cross, Newcastle and Scotland. The state has run this service since National Express East Coast was hit by the downturn in 2008 when it became unable to make the necessary government repayments for operating the franchise. Tory ministers want to quickly see the franchise back in private hands.
Labour’s more vocal stance on rail has important undertones; the party is increasingly echoing the left-wing rail unions and the TUC in its policy towards the sector. The party’s belief that Government should be directly operating railways again reflects a huge policy reversal, the likes of which would have been, until recently, unimaginable.
They key issue here is that the line’s success has nothing to do with the fact that the government has recently been in charge.
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