Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is ignoring calls by Keir Starmer to snub the rail strike pickets.
Sarwar is scheduled to attend a picket by the RMT trade union at Waverley station this morning, Tuesday, June 21.
The Labour leader is facing a backlash over his response to the biggest rail strikes in decades across the United Kingdom.
READ MORE: RMT boss brands Tory minister 'a liar' 15 times during heated TV interview over rail strikes
A three-day walkout by Network Rail staff will effectively bring the service to a standstill across the UK.
In an attempt to put distance between Labour and the strikers, an email from Starmer’s office, obtained by Politics Home, stated:
“We have robust lines. We do not want to see these strikes to go ahead with the resulting disruption to the public. The government have failed to engage in any negotiations.
“However, we also must show leadership and to that end, please be reminded that frontbenchers including [parliamentary private secretaries] should not be on picket lines.
“Please speak to all the members of your team to remind them of this and confirm with me that you have done so.”
However, a spokesperson for Scottish Labour said this stance would not be adopted north of the border.
Sarwar posted on Instagram: "Solidarity with those on the picket line. This is a crisis entirely of the Government's making. The workers don't want strikes. The unions don't want strikes. The public don't want strikes. They demand better."
It came as MPs defied the Starmer instruction by showing solidarity with the workers.
Kate Osborne, a parliamentary aide to shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle, joined the workers in Bromley, south-east London, saying: “I’m a trade unionist, I will always stand on the side of the workers.”
Labour whip Navendu Mishra also joined a picket line, saying: “As a proud trade unionist, I stand with all workers on our railway network who are taking industrial action to fight for their jobs and keep passengers safe.”
Meanwhile, a senior Labour MP warned colleagues that joining picket lines in support of striking workers will not resolve the dispute on the railways.
Shadow Treasury chief secretary Pat McFadden said he understood why the RMT is pressing for a pay rise due to the rising cost of living, but that he wants to see a negotiated settlement.
Asked what his message to Labour MPs who do join the protests would be, McFadden told LBC News: “I would say to them, in the end that’s not how this will be resolved.
“It will be resolved by a deal that gets the railways running again, and that’s where the political focus should be.”
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