Labour leadership favourite puts nationalising the railways back at top of political agenda

The apparent favourite for the Labour leadership, Jeremy Corbyn, has vowed to bring the railways back into public ownership.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Corbyn said that "natural monopolies" should be run by the state. "It seems counter-intuitive that we spend a great deal of money on railway infrastructure, billion, and then hand it over to companies to run it. If you are investing in infrastructure, then we, the public, should get the benefit of that."

He insisted that it was not an "extreme position," but one "supported by 60-70% of the electorate" and that Labour could increase its appeal with the third of people who did not vote in the General Election and those who turned to UKIP and other parties. 

Andy Burnham, another leading contender, reportedly told Sky News he also wanted greater public ownership of the railways, but did not think the country could afford "widespread re-nationalisation". Labour under Ed Miliband had supported allowing publicly-run companies to bid against the private sector for franchises.