Rishi Sunak ‘sad and disappointed’ by strikes threatening Christmas getaways
Rishi Sunak has said he is “sad and disappointed” that strikes are threatening to disrupt Christmas getaways.
The prime minister admitted setting public sector pay was a “difficult question” but insisted that “the government has acted fairly and reasonably in accepting all the recommendations of the independent public sector pay review bodies”.
However, he did not explicitly rule out a one-off pay offer for striking NHS staff.
Severe traffic warning issued – strikes latest
Asked how he would prevent further action, Mr Sunak said: “As the health secretary and I have previously said, our door is always open.
“There’s lots of things people have raised as things that we might make a difference to, and we’d be happy to talk about all those things.”
Shortly after his interview, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced nurses will strike again in England on 18 and 19 January and said further dates would be confirmed in the new year.
The impact of the strikes will be widened, with the number of trusts involved increasing from 44 to 55.
The union disputed Mr Sunak’s insistence that the government is open to talks.
The RCN tweeted: “Once again, we offered talks. Once again ministers refused to get round the table. Once again nursing staff are left with no choice. For the protection of our patients & profession, our next strike will take place on 18 & 19 January 2023.”
Rishi Sunak was speaking from The Passage homeless shelter in London
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen added: “The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.”
NHS providers, which represents trusts across England, said the action will “pile even more pressure on an already overstretched health service” as they urged the government to enter “serious” talks with unions over pay.
Hundreds of thousands of workers across many sectors of the economy have gone on strike or are planning to this winter as unions seek pay rises for their members during the cost of living crisis and soaring inflation.
Border Force staff at the UK’s busiest airports walked out today, threatening delays for air travellers.
Mr Sunak said: “I am sad and disappointed about the disruption that is being caused to so so many people’s lives, particularly at Christmas time.”
He urged everyone travelling to check before setting off to ensure they have minimum disruption to their journey.
Earlier, the leader of union behind the Border Force strikes warned travellers could face months of disruption unless the government comes forward with an improved pay offer.
PCS union general secretary Mark Serwotka told Sky News that the government had only offered a 2% pay rise, despite staff asking for a 10% increase to keep up with inflation.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of PCS union, says civil servants are facing a ‘poverty crisis’
He added that 40,000 members of the Civil Service were using food banks, describing the situation as a “crisis of poverty”.
He also predicted a “huge escalation” in industrial action in January across the Civil Service unless ministers enter into negotiations.
“So anyone who faces disruption, you have a right to be angry, but your anger should be directed at Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt,” he said.
Speaking during a visit to a homeless shelter in London, Mr Sunak said inflation is “eating into everyone’s pay packets” and in order to reduce that he has to be “responsible about public sector pay”.
“In the long term it’s the right thing for the whole country that we beat inflation,” he said.
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform
Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway