In an impassioned speech union boss Mick Lynch told a huge crowd at the Durham Miners' Gala : "We're back. The working class is back. We refuse to be meek, we refuse to be humble and we refuse to be poor anymore."
Even with Gala favourite, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn attending the event, the star turn was the RMT general secretary who got a rapturous reception. His high profile defence of his members in the recent rail strikes has provided a boost to Britain's union movement.
He took aim the Conservative party and its battle to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is to resign. "I don't give a monkey's who the leader of the Tory party is," he said.
