Labour says its rail plans will save the taxpayer £2.2bn.

But it’s admitted to FactCheck that most of this apparent saving comes from a government policy that uses calculations the party hasn’t seen – while the rest is based on an internal party analysis that Labour refuses to share.

FactCheck takes a look.

What is the ‘£2.2bn saving’?

Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh recently announced the party’s plans to reform the railways, saying “we think we will save the taxpayer as much as £2.2bn every year”.

The majority of this figure would be from Labour implementing plans proposed by the current government in 2021 – which are yet to be rolled out.

Government analysis said that this Plan for Rail would deliver an estimated £1.5bn a year in savings from simplifying the network.

Labour’s own figures are based on this government estimate. But the party admitted to FactCheck in an email that it hasn’t seen the calculations to support it because the government hasn’t published them (which is true).

Labour’s analysis also suggests that the current rail model wastes as much as a further £680m per year, and says it would reform the system to save this money. This makes up the rest of the £2.2bn headline claim.

We asked the party for details of the £680m figure. It told us “it’s based on extensive internal analysis which has been checked by industry experts.”

When we asked to see that analysis, the party told FactCheck: “the Government hasn’t published its detailed internal analysis [underpinning the £1.5bn figure] and therefore we won’t be doing so either”. Labour said it was “confident” in its assessment “as we’ve checked it with industry experts”.

That means Labour cannot (in the case of the £1.5bn figure) or will not (in the case of the £680m figure) provide evidence to support either component of the £2.2bn claim.

A Labour spokesperson told FactCheck: “The Government has not published the workings of its internal analysis.

“Labour’s internal analysis on the savings under Great British Railways has had the input of industry experts.

“Our plan for publicly-owned passenger rail goes above and beyond the Government’s long-delayed rail reforms, and means ending the fragmentation and inefficiency on our broken railways which is failing taxpayers and passengers alike.”

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