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This is one of the militant union officials fighting to succeed Bob Crow as RMT boss.

Steve Hedley, the union’s Hard-Left assistant general secretary, is pictured on his Facebook page wearing a Soviet-style soldier’s hat and brandishing an assault rifle, believed to be a German weapon from the Second World War.

Messages on the page reveal he appears to relish walk-outs, such as the one which caused misery for Londoners last week. His comments include:

“With 3 different strikes announced today I think ill [sic] enjoy the Easter weekend.”

“Two very good Rmt branch meetings tonight. 1 jubilee south branch want to name strike dates for the job losses dispute. 2 Fleet branch reject job losses and want strike dates. I love the RMT membership.”

“I was privileged tonight to attend two very Militant RMT branch meetings.” Mr Hedley’s remarks will prompt fears that London could be hit by a new wave of strikes if he were elected, with the situation worse than when the RMT was run by Mr Crow.

Conservative chairman Grant Shapps said: “The line-up of challengers for the job of RMT leader is alarming.

“Mick Cash, who is considered to be a ‘moderate’ compared with the rest, held commuters to ransom and did untold damage to our economy last week on flimsy grounds.

“Or imagine a world with Stephen Hedley in charge — a man who revels in inconveniencing the British public. It’s a disgrace and it’s high time Ed Miliband stood up to the union bosses who sponsor several of his own MPs.”

In another Facebook post, likely to be seen by commuters as displaying a “class war” attitude, Mr Hedley said: “I’ve had to move down the carriage to escape a load of middle class prats and their mockney accents.”

After the death of ex-Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, he commented: “Thatcher will have company on [sic] hell tonight as another war criminal snuffs it…”

When challenged by the Standard over his Facebook posts, Mr Hedley denied being a “Communist” or anti-middle class. He also sought to play down the comment on the prospect of three strikes.

“I meant nothing by that,” he said. “I was just looking forward to the Easter weekend when I go to church.”

On the photograph, he added: “I am no Communist. I was on a family holiday to Moscow a few months ago and we were in a market which had all sorts of clothes. I dressed up for a laugh. I also put on a Cossack’s outfit.”

When asked about his comment on “middle class prats” he stressed: “They were just really annoying young posh hipsters putting on a mockney accent. They were talking about houses in Hackney and dropping their aitches.

“They were pretending they were something that they are not that was what was wrong with that. I am not against middle class people I have loads of middle class friends.”

He “stood by” his comments on Lady Thatcher and Sharon.

The election of a successor to Mr Crow, who died in March at the age of 52, has overshadowed every move in the latest dispute, which has already led to one 48-hour strike.

Five candidates have declared so far, including acting general secretary Mr Cash, who was Mr Crow’s deputy for 12 years. The new general secretary will be announced on September 22.

UP to 1,500 staff at Transport for London are set to walk out on Friday in a pay and pensions row not connected with the Tube dispute. Union bosses warn it will be the first of a series of strikes which will hit travel centres at London’s mainline rail stations.