Union leader Bob Crow seeks to form new 'working class party' to replace Labour

Bob Crow, the RMT general secretary, will seek to exploit Labour’s wranglings with trade unions by urging the movement to break ties with Ed Miliband and create a party that “speaks for working people”.

He has accused the Labour leader of showing unions contempt and “dancing to the tune of Tony Blair” following plans to end the automatic affiliation of union members to the party.

Although the transport union was expelled from the party in 2004 for allowing Scottish branches to affiliate to other political parties, Mr Crow claimed the shake-up announced earlier this week was an attempt to “hack away at the last remaining shreds of influence held by those who created the party”.

He will today attempt to rally support for a “new party of labour” to take on the “anti-worker” agenda of the three main Westminster political parties at the Durham Miners’ Gala.