UK

RMT's Mick Lynch Praised By Hugh Laurie For 'Cleaning Up' During His Media Rounds

The Union boss delivered some killer lines on TV while defending this week's strike action.

By Kate Nicholson
22/06/2022

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has won over praise for his no-nonsense approach during interviews
STEFAN ROUSSEAU - PA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

Mick Lynch has been praised by none other than celebrated actor Hugh Laurie for his straight-talking attitude in broadcast interviews this week.

The general secretary for RMT – the main union leading the rail strikes – has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days to explain why 40,000 workers are refusing to operate train services over pay, working conditions and job losses.

And Lynch has not disappointed viewers. Laurie tweeted last night: “I don’t know enough about the rail dispute. I only observe that RMT’s Mick Lynch cleaned up every single media picador who tried their luck today.”

Here are a few snippets which Laurie may have been referring to, starting with Lynch’s cutting response of questions from Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley.

The host asked Lynch if he was a “Marxist” – as his critics have accused him of being – to which the RMT boss laughed and said: “Richard, you do come up with the most remarkable twaddle sometimes.”

Madeley replied by saying this was not his assessment of the situation, but he was “merely quoting” Lynch’s critics.

He also clashed with Labour’s shadow cabinet office minister Baroness Jenny Chapman on BBC Politics Live over her background.

She claimed Lynch was denying that she came from a working class background as they clashed on live TV.

“I don’t even know who you are,” Lynch replied. “I didn’t tell you you weren’t working class. I don’t even know your name!

Lynch used a similarly direct tactic in conversation with Sky News’ Kay Burley, where he asked her: “Do you not know how a picket line works?”

As the presenter continued to ask what the strikers’ picketing involves, he said: “You can see what picketing involves, I can’t believe this line of questioning. Picketing is standing outside the work place to try to encourage people who want to go to work not to go to work.”

When Burley attempted to draw comparisons with the miners’ strike from the 1980s, Lynch claimed she seems “to have gone off into the world of surreal”.

“Your questions are verging into nonsense,” Lynch said.

The night before, Lynch had also interrupted technology minister Chris Philp repeatedly with the word “lies” when they were both sharing a panel for BBC Newsnight.

Philp was explaining why the government appeared reluctant to get directly involved in the dispute between striking workers and their employers, as the RMT boss called him out again and again over the minister’s version of events.

Another Tory MP, Jonathan Gullis, accused Lynch of “undermining the rail network” by pushing back against modern technology, impacting the UK’s climate crisis and raising prices of travelling on trains. The backbencher also called on him to apologise to everyone affected by the strikes.

Lynch replied: ”I think Jonathan should apologise for talking nonsense. None of that is true.”

He also claimed Gullis had just “learnt it off a script” from the Conservative head office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 of the best Mick Lynch memes as RMT General Secretary becomes viral star

Greg Evans

We all know that rail strikes aren't exactly the sexiest of subject matters but somehow, someway the RMT's general secretary Mick Lynch has managed to make this summer's biggest strike the talk of the town.

It's fair to say that many of us had probably never heard of Lynch until last week but the calm, astute and resolute 60-year-old has quickly become a minor celebrity thanks to his ruthless interviewing style.

While the strike has been happening, Lynch has been making the media rounds to make the case for the RMT and has been leaving no prisoners in his wake, when presenters and Tory MPs have tried to trip him up.

The likes of Piers Morgan, Kay Burley, Richard Madeley and Robert Jenrick to name but a few have all been left licking the wounds after trying and failing to grill Lynch.

Piers Morgan grilled RMT general secretary on Facebook profile picture

Thanks to this Lynch has become a working man's hero of sorts and the affection for the man has translated into some pretty hilarious memes. Here are some of our favourites.

If you thought this was good then wait until you learn that Lynch is appearing on Question Time on Thursday night.