Labour’s commitment to public ownership of critical infrastructure has been reaffirmed after a motion proposed by the Unite union was passed by delegates. The motion called for railways and the energy industry to remain in public ownership. However, party sources suggest that this will not be reflected in Labour’s next manifesto. The Shadow Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, stated that the energy system would not be nationalised and that the vote generated disagreement in some areas of the party. The vote was a huge victory for left-wing pressure group, Momentum, who stated that trade unions, Labour members, and the public want public services in public hands, not being run for profit.
Unite’s General Secretary, Sharon Graham, argued that Labour’s job is to be the voice of workers and communities and that “we must take our energy back into public hands”. While Unite published a survey ahead of the vote that supported energy utilities returning to public ownership, with voters overwhelmingly in favour of this move. HS2 and fully staffed rail ticket offices were also reaffirmed in the motion. However, yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer stated that he could not commit to the northern leg of HS2.
Labour’s national policy is developed through policy voted on by conference and feeds into Labour’s National Policy Forum. The party’s current policy includes the renationalisation of the railways when contract operators expire or fail. They have also previously promised to create GB Energy, a publicly owned national energy company that would compete with private industry and promote clean energy
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