Unions hail UK’s rail renationalisation bills as a return to ‘public service’

Separate measures in king’s speech will allow government to take operators into public ownership while Great British Railways is set up

Rail unions have said Britain’s trains will be “run as a public service, not for private profit”, as the new government announced early steps to renationalise the railways in the king’s speech.

Labour will renationalise rail with two separate bills, decoupling laws to take train services into public ownership from more complex legislation to set up a dedicated public body, Great British Railways (GBR).