Lib Dems on wrong track with tweet

THE Liberal Democrats hit out at union bosses over the rail strikes yesterday, only to retract the criticism minutes later.

In a tweet they said voters were as “sick” of the RMT, which has called this week’s mass walk-out, as they are with the Government.

But the message, which did not fit with the positions previously stated by the party’s leadership, was almost instantly deleted.

“Frankly, the Government and RMT are just as bad as each other,” the post from the official Lib Dem account said.

“The country is sick of them both playing politics with people’s lives.”

The tweet, which they admitted was taken down after a backlash, will prove embarrassing to the party as it looks to attack the Government over the strikes.

Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has said he is “against the rail strikes” but has blamed Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, for the chaos.

“If a summer of discontent is not to turn into a winter of discontent and fullon stagflation, ministers must step back from the brink,” he wrote in The Guardian. “Instead of strikes, there should be dialogue between government ministers and union bosses.

“Boris Johnson and Grant Shapps in particular are playing politics with people’s lives, as they pretend to be innocent bystanders to the dispute. If these strikes continue all summer much of the blame will lie at Shapps’s door.”

Sir Ed has urged the Prime Minister to convene the Government’s emergency committee Cobra to thrash out a response to the strikes chaos.

Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems’ transport lead, called Mr Shapps’ handling of the crisis “disgraceful”.

Department for Transport ministers insist they do not want the action to go ahead, but say it is up to the unions and train companies to find a compromise.