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TRANSPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin dropped a clanger during his keynote speech at the Tory conference yesterday by claiming that the East Coast Main Line was better in private hands.
Ignoring the hard facts that the East Coast franchise has raised hundreds of millions since returning to the public sector, Mr McLoughin trumpeted Tory plans to reprivatise it.
The franchise had to be nationalised in 2009 because private contractor National Express walked away from its contract.
Taking an ill-conceived pot shot at Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr McLoughlin said: “Our plan — a new private operator from next year. His plan — letting the RMT call the shots and leaving that route stuck in state hands.”
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said the union was delighted that Mr McLoughlin “is running scared of this union’s high profile and successful campaign to keep the East Coast Main Line in public hands.”
He added: “The minister and his party and his Lib Dem allies are taking the British people for mugs.”
