Tory who said food bank users ‘can’t budget’ has pop at Mick Lynch

A Tory MP took aim at union heavyweight Mick Lynch on Thursday, claiming striking rail workers are “holding the country to ransom”.

Lee Anderson raised eyebrows in May, when he claimed people who use food banks can’t budget or cook.

And the controversial MP did not hold back when discussing the latest wave of strikes taking place across the UK this week.

Anderson was particularly eager to get stuck in to Lynch, the chief of the RMT union, who has been calling for increases to workers’ pay and working conditions in recent months.

‘Ashamed’

Speaking to TalkTV, Anderson said: “The union leaders, the Mick Lynchs of this world, are creating havoc throughout this country.

“These people aren’t interested in working class people at all, I don’t even think they’re interested in the members.

“What happens is you get fifth columnists, these union leaders, holding the country to ransom. Quite frankly they should be ashamed of themselves.”

Anderson also claimed that Lynch is “holding the country to ransom”, despite earning “nearly as much as the prime minister” – a claim which Lynch laughed off on Thursday morning as “completely untrue”.

‘Champagne socialists’

But the Tory MP found a receptive audience in TalkTV host Mike Graham, who suggested there were “champagne socialists” who backed the strikes.

Anderson continued: “The great British taxpayer – people on minimum wage, people on living wage, are going to work to subside this industry.”

He added: “We are being victimised by these union leaders, these rail union leaders, who quite frankly do not give a toss, Mike, about the rest of the country.”

“They’ve got this big bee in their bonnet, they are the official opposition because the Labour Party are pretty useless at the moment, and they’re saying, ‘look at us, we can hold the country to ransom, we’re not bothered that the government has just bailed the country out with taxpayer money over the last two and a half years.’”

Impersonating the union members, Anderson added: “‘You know what, we don’t care about Britain really do we?’”

Henry Goodwin

Henry is a reporter with a keen interest in politics and current affairs. He read History at the University of Cambridge and has a Masters in Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London. Follow him on Twitter: @HenGoodwin.