Labour frontbenchers told to avoid picket lines as party wrestles with RMT funding

LABOUR frontbenchers have been told they are banned from picket lines as a transport union begins three days of strikes that will cripple rail networks.

Shadow cabinet members and their aides have been instructed to “show leadership” and stay away from protests amid major disruption to train services today, Thursday and Saturday.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has stopped short of condemning strikers as the party has found itself torn between its traditional support for unions and calls to publicly oppose the action. But in a memo, party officials told shadow cabinet members and their aides to “not be on picket lines”.

“We do not want to see these strikes go ahead with the resulting disruption to the public,” the memo said. “However, we also must show leadership.

Please be reminded that frontbenchers … should not be on picket lines.”

John Mcdonnell – who was shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn and whose constituency party has received thousands of pounds from the RMT – said yesterday he would be “joining picket lines” and described the union’s requests as “completely reasonable”.

Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, attended a Trades Union Congress rally on Saturday where the RMT urged other organisations to take part in “coordinated action”.

Ms Rayner is one of 16 sitting Labour MPS whose local parties have taken donations from the RMT, analysis by The Daily Telegraph shows.

The MPS’ constituency parties accepted a total of £81,724 from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) in a five-year period, the register of interests shows.

Diane Abbott, who was shadow home secretary under Mr Corbyn, and Matt Rodda, a former pensions minister, also registered donations by the RMT either through their local Labour parties or indirectly through the central party.

The funds, covering 2015 to 2020, were often declared by MPS shortly after general elections, suggesting the RMT helped to fund their campaigns.

Some of the Labour MPS who took money defended the donations, which they noted went to constituency offices. One called it “the cleanest money in British politics”.

The average RMT donation to Labour MPS was in the low thousands and 13 were declared within a month of the 2019 general election, the Register of Members’ Financial Interests show.

Gareth Bacon, the Tory MP, said: “The union barons who will be responsible for missed exams and hospital appointments are the very same people keeping the Labour Party afloat.”