Working-class heroes, Mick Lynch and the unions: An interview with Gregor Gall.

This article focuses on Gregor Gall’s analysis of Mick Lynch, general secretary of the UK’s National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), as a contemporary “working-class hero” in his 2024 political biography. Gall defines a working-class hero as someone who both originates from and remains materially connected to the working class while actively promoting its interests, distinguishing Lynch’s social democratic leadership style from more militant predecessors like Bob Crow. The discussion highlights the challenges facing working-class leadership today, including the limited strike power of unions, the underrepresentation of Black, female, and LGBTQ+ figures as recognized heroes, and the broader weakened state of the British left and trade union movement. Gall critiques Lynch’s approach as effective in media engagement and rekindling working-class confidence but limited in strategic planning, alliance-building, and advancing a transformative political agenda beyond social democracy.