As people packed in to a stuffy conference room at Liverpool's Convention Centre this evening, Mick Lynch posed for a selfie with a member of the public.
The act is indicative of the RMT chief's popularity at the Labour Party conference where today he has delivered rousing speeches at a series of fringe events around the city. This afternoon, Mr Lynch garnered rapturous applause at an event outlining how Labour can deliver better transport, challenging the Labour leadership to be strong and delclaring "enough is enough" when it comes to the Tories' unequal distribution of wealth.
He followed his powerful keynote speech with an appearance on a panel which sought to explore how to end the cost of living crisis. Clarifying comments he made yesterday where he told Sir Keir Starmer to be bold or "wake up and get another job", Mr Lynch reaffirmed his support for the Labour party and then detailed the value of a Labour win for working people.
READ MORE: Rail union boss Mick Lynch blasts Labour party leadership ahead of conference
He said: “I want the Labour party to win the next election because its in the class interests of our people to have a Labour government and get rid of this lot who are suppressing and oppressing us and ripping us off. I’m not an economist, but I know when we’re being ripped off.
"We’re being robbed of our wealth in front of our eyes. They are stripping the money out of working class communities." Mr Lynch went on to brand the Tories' chronic underfunding of the NHS as a "scandal" and said that the "main thrust" of Labour's policy has got to be about the redestribution of wealth and power within society.
The union boss also reacted to the new restrictions Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled during Friday's "mini-budget" which represent a huge blow to workers and unions. Mr Lynch described the measures as an attempt to “hobble and shackle the trade union movement" and said the government "want to make protests and fightback against poverty illegal in this country".
The room erupted as Mr Lynch brought his speech to a close by declaring: "L et's abolish poverty and deliver for our people.” One member of the audience described the union boss' speech as "inspirational", and the RMT union's work to fight for a fair deal for their members was praised by MP Olivia Blake who also sat on this evening's panel.
Ms Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam, pinned the cost of living crisis on prolonged poor decision making under Tory rule. She said: “In some ways the cost of living crisis is badly named. It suggests it just fell out of the sky despite stemming from a series of political choices especially over the last 12 years.
"When CEOs pay off their shareholders instead of boosting wages for their workers, that is a choice. When they squirrel away money as dividends instead of investing in vital infrastructure, that's a choice. And when they make super profits but sweat their workers, eroding their conditions, that is a choice too."
MP for Middlesborough, Andy McDonald, argued that “there’s never been a better time to make the case for public ownership" of energy companies. He said: “We’ve had 12 long years of Tory governments and their continuous attacks on working people.
"Twelve years of squeezed wages, 12 years of underfunding our public services and 12 years of neglecting those most in needs across society all the while the very richest get richer beyond belief. The cost of living crisis isn’t a crisis for the very few at the top, it's a crisis for the many and one thats been long in the making."
He added: “We need to see energy companies brought into public ownership so we can put a cap on prices and end billions of pounds leaking out to shareholders in dividends."
READ NEXT :
Free prescriptions for over 60s could soon be scrapped
Gang linked to Olivia shooting had 'bad reputation' before murder
Mum walks into 'horror film' as rat attacks toddler's face in bed
