RAIL workers should “come home” to Labour, John McDonnell said today.

Ahead of a debate on the prospect of re-affiliation to the party at rail union RMT’s annual general meeting later this week, the shadow chancellor issued a “personal appeal”.

He told a packed fringe meeting at the union’s conference that he “understood the position members were put in” when they opted to back left-of-Labour candidates during the New Labour years — which led to the RMT being expelled from affiliation.

He said he had not intervened in the question of whether the union renewed its link with Labour since then — and said he and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had offered their solidarity to “every dispute this union has called.”

But he told delegates: “But to be honest times have changed.

“We want to walk into government and we want to hit the deck running.

“You won’t be on the inside track with that unless you’re affiliated.”

He said establishment figures and big business would “do everything they can to prevent us implementing the manifesto, so that’s why we need you there.”

Later this week the union will debate a number of alternative political strategies in a closed session of its conference.

Some activists will press for a special general meeting to discuss re-affiliating to Labour.

Former RMT president Alex Gordon said: “There is a class struggle taking place both inside and outside the Labour Party at the moment.

“We’re living in dangerous times — things could go either way.”

The RMT has latterly backed the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (Tusc), a platform backed by the Socialist Party with the support of a number of union activists.

Mr Gordon said: “But let’s be clear, if it ever had any legs, it doesn’t anymore. And Socialist Party members in this room need to acknowledge that Tusc is a dead duck.”

Some RMT activists argue that the union is better placed without a formal affiliation to Labour, so that it can easily change tack in the event of a rightward shift.

But RMT executive member Jeff Slee said: “This union said to John and Jeremy... ‘we support and admire what you’re doing in the Labour Party’.

“This union also said, ‘you are wasting your time trying to change the Labour Party’. How wrong we were.”