The left needs to fight back against Farage. This is how | Eddie Dempsey interview

In this interview from the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey sets out the union’s perspective on the deepening crisis of work in Britain’s transport industry. Speaking against the backdrop of decades of privatisation and chronic underinvestment, Dempsey highlights how these policies have created precarity for workers across the rail and transport sectors. He explains how insecure contracts, fragmented services, and cost-cutting by private operators have left not only staff but passengers worse off, making the case for public ownership as the only sustainable alternative.

Dempsey also tackles one of the most urgent political challenges facing the labour movement today: the rise of the far right. He discusses how Nigel Farage and Reform UK have capitalised on public anger, economic instability, and disillusionment with mainstream politics to build a base for right-wing populism. Drawing on the RMT’s own organising tradition, Dempsey argues that the antidote to this drift is rooted in strong trade unions, class-based politics, and concrete improvements to people’s everyday lives.

The interview sheds light on how the RMT sees its role not only in defending workers on the railways, buses, and wider transport network, but also in shaping a political project capable of challenging division and offering hope. From opposing zero-hour contracts to resisting creeping authoritarianism, Dempsey outlines why unions must be at the heart of any strategy to push back against the far right.

Whether you’re a trade union member, a Labour supporter, or simply concerned about the future of work and democracy in the UK, this conversation offers vital insights into the challenges ahead and the organising needed to meet them.

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