The Labour Government’s renationalisation plans, ushered in by the Railway Bill, are being sold as a fix-all solution for Britain’s railways. However, the reality, as I warned in my maiden speech, is that our railways will creep back into the 1970s.

Over the past few weeks I have been sitting on the Railways Bill Committee, scrutinising the Labour Government’s plans to bring our railways back into public ownership. Public Bill Committees are an often-overlooked pillar of Britain’s democratic tradition, enabling detailed, cross-party scrutiny of legislation and helping ensure laws are strengthened before reaching the statute book. During these sessions, I have grown increasingly concerned that Labour is heading down the wrong track with its nationalisation plans, and in this piece I set out why.

Many people in the South West, living several hours from the corridors of power in Westminster, feel that our region is overlooked in favour of other parts of the country. Born and raised in Plymouth, I feel this instinctively and am working tirelessly as a local MP to give our region the voice it deserves. However, without a mayoral authority, Labour’s Railway Bill will effectively muzzle the South West on key decisions about our rail line. The Bill emphasises devolving powers to areas with mayors, but contains no clear mechanism to ensure communities without mayors have a meaningful say over timetables, stations, or long-term investment decisions. In doing so, it risks hard-wiring a two-tier railway system into law.

Storm Chandra, which destroyed part of the sea wall at Dawlish in January, was a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the South West’s rail infrastructure. I am campaigning hard to extend the platform at Ivybridge Station so more CrossCountry services can stop, to secure funding for the final stage of the Dawlish resilience works, and to push forward the Plymouth Metro, including a new station at Plympton. However, by locking us out of discussions without a mayoral authority, these vital projects risk being denied the attention and urgency they deserve.

There are also glaring omissions. Rail discounts for the young, the elderly, and disabled passengers are being written into law. However, Labour has ignored calls by the Conservatives to also guarantee both the Veterans Railcard and the Armed Forces Railcard in law. This will be felt as a slight by many people in South West Devon, which is home to RM Bickleigh and has the third-highest veteran population in the UK. I will not let this be brushed aside and have launched a petition, backed by almost 700 signatures, to protect the railcard for those who have served. Please consider adding your name to the petition here: https://www.rebecca-smith.org.uk/webform/sign_my_petition_to_save_the_vet

Other serious questions remain unanswered. We still have not seen the operating licence that will underpin this new structure, making it impossible to judge how transparent or accountable the system will be in practice. The proposed size and scope of the South West business unit, for example, raises additional concerns about over centralisation and a lack of local knowledge in decision making. With a workforce of more than 100,000 in the sector—larger than the British Army—Great British Railways risks becoming a bureaucratic quagmire, moving at a glacial pace and far removed from the passengers it is meant to serve.