Looking for the real Red Robbo: Militants, Metros and MI5 - who was Derek Robinson?

by Rich Duisberg

Once accused of leading over 500 strikes, trade unionist Derek Robinson eventually came to wear the Red Robbo name as a badge of honour, having been a dominant force at British Leyland in the 1970s. You probably know that much already. But not is all as it seems. This is the story of author Rich Duisburg’s efforts to unpick the real life of the man who Thatcher described as a ‘notorious agitator’. A man who may, or may not, have once snapped the wipers off a manager's Maxi. In his research, the author finds strikes from Longbridge workers demanding Marks&Spencers underwear, evidence of a workers fatality by drowning in a paint bath, a strike over a dead cat, and a plant manager getting shot in the legs while attending a course on industrial relations. Working backwards though turbulent times we come to learn what made Robbo red, finding characters like The Mole, senior BL directors, and MI5 agent 910. There are stories of shopfloor shenanigans aplenty and plenty of mis-management. The author (who once worked in Rover’s chaotic factories himself) uncovers a shadowy government-funded anti-communist movement, meets Marxists who vandalised TR7s for being bourgeoisie, and gets attacked by an ex-BL chairman's pet duck – all in his pursuit of the man they called Red Robbo.

"I read some of this book, decided I didn’t like the noise it made turning the pages, and went on strike for a month" - TopGear scriptwriter, Richard Porter.
"Do not make this a Robin Hood story" - ex-Longbridge plant manager.
"He's a Black Country Robin Hood" - ex-Longbridge line worker.
"It's about class struggle" - Ken Loach, film director.
“I suspect I unintentionally promoted the cars which contributed to the demise of a once proud industry” - Noel Edmonds, TV person.

241 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2025

Reviews

[Phil Roat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich knocks it out of the park again with another well researched, amusingly written, fascinating look into an automotive character - this time Red Robbo.

If you’re looking for a serious read; this isn’t entirely for you. If you want an amusing but true account then this if for you.

Buy it, and then buy his other books… They’re pretty good!