‘He’s reading from a script’ – RMT clashes with Tory Gullis on Politics Live

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis has clashed with the RMT union on today’s edition of Politics Live. The Stoke-on-Trent North MP was one of the guests on this lunchtime’s edition of the popular politics show.

He criticised this week’s rail strikes which are putting extra strain on the UK’s transport network. But he was later put down by RMT official Mick Lynch who accused Mr Gullis of ‘reading from a script’.

During the exchange, Mr Gullis said: “Three per cent is a very good offer on the table with modernisation but you have heard that even Network Rail are moving to a position where they’re saying ‘we will go above three per cent with modernisation’.

READ MORE: Travel misery for millions as both sides in rail dispute blame each other for strikes

“Mick’s talking about modernisation like it’s a scary thing. Modernisation, such as installing an app on your phone so you could communicate better with your workers or having sensors on trains to detect indeficiencies in the rail network, I don’t think are controversial things. I think they are good things because it means drivers are safer and ultimately people on the rail line, as well, are safer. That’s what we want to see, the best health and safety we can.

“What Mick’s doing is undermining the rail network. We know that passenger numbers are down by about 20 per cent. We are in a world where we want to get to a place where we have net-zero and that means encouraging more people onto public transport.

“These strikes are only going to drive people further away from it and the pay rise that Mick wants will add more costs to the rail network, making it more unaffordable for more working people. He should be apologising to the doctors and nurses who can’t get to hospital, the patients who can’t get their operation, the kids who miss out on their education today but also there’s armed forces veterans who risk their lives for our freedoms who won’t be able to celebrate armed forces day on Saturday.”

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis was one of the guests on this lunchtime’s edition of Politics Live (Image: BBC)

Presenter Jo Coburn asked Mr Lynch if he wanted to apologise following Mr Gullis’ comments.

But in response, Mr Lynch said: “Well, I think Jonathan should apologise for talking nonsense, none of that is true. We have got automated technology on the trains, we’ve got ultrasonic sensors, things that detect faults on tracks. That is all rubbish. I negotiated that deal with Network Rail myself.

“We’ve got on-train technicians, all sorts of new technology that’s been deployed. That is just stuff written in Conservative central office that backbench MPs just spout.

“I don’t want this disruption, I don’t want people to be inconvenienced and I want a settlement to this dispute. I can’t do that with a backbench MP who’s just learnt it off a script. We know what the issues are.”

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