No 10 defends claim public sector pay demands would cost £28bn and refuses to rule out crackdown – UK politics live | Politics

Labour is pushing for last-minute amendments to the federal government’s plans to introduce voter identification earlier than the native elections in Could, however is not going to again a Liberal Democrat plan to kill it off within the Lords.

Social gathering officers stated they needed ministers to analyze voter suppression on the final spherical of native elections, and to arrange a particular committee to take a look at the doable influence of the brand new guidelines in Could, earlier than urgent forward. The Electoral Fee has told the Financial Times that the speedy implementation of the controversial scheme may imply the brand new system wouldn’t be “accessible, safe and workable”.

Campaigners and shadow ministers are notably involved that sure types of ID comparable to photographic journey passes might be accepted for over-60s, however not for youthful folks.

However Labour believes that the Lib Dems can’t win a so-called “deadly movement” within the Lords to kill the invoice off fully, and so is pushing its personal “remorse movement”, which might haven’t any direct influence on the laws itself.

Wes Streeting, the shadow well being secretary, has described Steve Barclay’s response to the NHS pay dispute “a whole joke”.

Referring to the well being secretary’s refusal to speak to the Royal School of Nursing about pay, Streeting stated:

The nurses are providing to barter. The one factor they’ve stated is that they wish to discuss pay. That’s all they’ve stated. The door is open, and for the federal government to refuse to take a seat down and even discuss for even a minute of negotiations, understanding that doing so will avert strike motion is deeply irresponsible.

And if sufferers endure disruption this week as they may if strikes go forward, they may understand it’s Conservative ministers guilty, not the nurses.

Steve Barclay’s, the well being secretary’s, response to the strike has been a whole joke.

Streeting additionally accused Barclay of “spoiling for a struggle”. He defined:

I believe the federal government’s cussed refusal to have interaction in critical negotiations reveals they’re spoiling for a struggle. They wish to blame nurses, blame paramedics, blame NHS workers for challenges within the nationwide well being service that are the direct fault and duty of 12 years of Conservative mismanagement – frankly, I believe it’s disgusting.

Streeting was talking throughout a go to to Lister hospital in Stevenage with Keir Starmer.

Heathrow has introduced it’s doing “every part we are able to” to make sure no flights are cancelled resulting from Border Pressure strikes, PA Media experiences. It’s one in all six UK airports the place Border Pressure employees will strike from 23 December, PA says.

In an announcement Heathrow stated:

We’re doing every part we are able to to guard a full flight schedule on strike days, so departing passengers ought to count on to journey as regular.

Arriving passengers with UK, EU, US, Canadian and another passports will be capable to use e-gates as ordinary and their journeys ought to be largely unaffected on strike days.

Border Pressure has contingency measures to make sure different arriving passengers are cleared safely and as rapidly as doable.

We’re persevering with to help them to strengthen these plans in order that as few persons are impacted as doable.

If passengers who can’t use e-gates are involved about travelling through the strikes, their airline might be able to supply them different journey dates.

This announcement is not going to reassure households arriving with kids beneath the age of 12, as a result of typically they can’t use e-gates.

And the House Workplace and Border Pressure stated in a joint assertion:

Those that are resulting from journey into the UK through the proposed industrial motion ought to be ready to face longer wait instances at UK border management.

Please be affected person and respect officers who’re working to maintain our residents secure and border safe, and supporting travellers through the strike motion.

And listed here are some extra traces from the Downing Road foyer briefing.

We’re not in search of to impose authorities over and above both the impartial pay evaluation course of or ongoing discussions between employers and the unions. We gained’t be altering the method.

• The spokesperson confirmed that Steve Barclay, the well being secretary, is just not keen to carry recent talks with the Royal School of Nursing about pay.

• The spokesperson stated that, though armed forces personnel might be serving to out when ambulance workers go on strike, that might not stop “critical disruption” to the service. The spokesperson signalled that the troopers would give attention to logistical job, in order that these ambulance workers who’re working might be free to give attention to sufferers. Speaking about what the army would do, he stated:

We recognise their skill-sets might be completely different however they can assist alleviate pressures to release paramedics and different folks with the required expertise to allow them to keep it up treating sufferers and get the place they should be …

Clearly we’re not suggesting that there gained’t be critical disruption brought on by strikes. These people are going to be extraordinarily useful in mitigating a few of that disruption, however nonetheless, it can have an effect.

The spokesperson additionally confirmed that members of the armed forces would step in when Border Pressure workers went on strike. However he wouldn’t say what number of armed forces personnel can be concerned, arguing that the “full scale” of the strike motion was not but recognized.

Dan Sabbagh

600 army personnel from all three armed forces will begin coaching to drive ambulances to cowl for putting NHS employees later this month. An extra 150 are being readied to behave as logistical help, defence sources stated, with coaching for each teams to begin “shortly”.

The determine is barely larger than indications given by Downing Road in a single day, the place it was implied that round 400 members of the armed forces would put together to tackle the work within the run-up to Christmas. Navy might be engaged in “non-clincial help,” it’s understood.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated: “The MoD has accepted a request from Division of Health and Social Care beneath the Navy Assist to Civil Authorities course of.”

Navy assist might be authorised when “there’s a particular have to act,” different choices have been discounted and the civil authority doesn’t have an alternate approach of coping.

On the No 10 foyer briefing the PM’s spokesperson additionally defended the federal government’s declare that assembly public sector union pay calls for in full would price £28bn – though he dropped the declare that this might price each household within the UK an “further” £1,000 on high of what’s already deliberate.

Rishi Sunak used the determine on Friday, saying that extraordinary households must pay “an extra £1,000 a year” if the federal government gave into unions’ public sector pay calls for. That determine relies on the £28bn price being shared equally amongst all households within the UK. Different ministers have used the figures, however with out at all times describing them as “further” to what has already been deliberate.

As this BBC Reality Check analysis explains, there are numerous objections to the £28bn and £1,000 per household figures, of which one of many major ones is that they don’t make allowance for the truth that the federal government has already dedicated to giving public sector employees pay rises price round 3% on common.

Requested to defend the determine, the PM’s spokesperson stated £28bn was the estimated price of giving all public sector pay employees an 11% pay rise in 2023-24. However he conceded that this was a determine that would come with the sums already allotted for public sector pay rises. He stated:

We’re not speaking about giving two completely different pay rises. It might rely on what the overarching common of the pay rise was. If it was 11%, it might be £28bn.

On the foyer briefing this morning No 10 stated it was “regarding” that unions throughout completely different sectors appear to be coordinating strike motion, and wouldn’t rule out together with measures to handle this within the forthcoming anti-union laws.

Sharon Graham, the Unite common secretary, lately stated the unions had been engaged in “actual industrial coordination throughout our employers, throughout our sectors, throughout our industries” and this can be a matter of increasing concern to Tory MPs. On the Westminster Hour final night time Damian Inexperienced, the previous first secretary of state, stated that the unions had been attempting to organise “a quasi-general strike” and that this was one thing that “must be resisted by everybody who cares about democracy”.

Requested if Rishi Sunak shared this concern, the PM’s spokesperson advised journalists:

It’s regarding to listen to discuss of coordinated actions. It solely seeks to exacerbate the distress it inflicts upon the general public. However that’s essentially a choice for unions.

We predict we’re performing moderately in accepting the suggestions of the impartial pay our bodies.

Sunak has already stated he’s planning “robust” new laws to ensure minimal public providers proceed throughout strikes. Requested if this might embrace measures to cease unions coordinating their strikes, the spokesperson stated he wouldn’t get into hypothesis about what the brand new powers may entail.

I’ll submit extra from the briefing shortly.

Well being employees from three of Northern Eire’s largest unions have begun a 24-strike in an escalation of their ongoing protest at pay and situations, PA Media experiences. PA says:

Members from Unison, Nipsa and GMB have taken to picket traces at hospitals and different well being service services throughout the area.

Later this week, nurses will strike in Northern Eire as a part of the UK-wide motion by the Royal School of Nursing on Thursday.

Final week, Stormont’s Division of Well being introduced that healthcare employees within the area would obtain a pay rise beneficial by impartial wage evaluation our bodies.

Unions stated the rise was not sufficient and insisted the strike motion would proceed.

The delayed pay rise transfer got here after civil servants secured the legislative authority to make choices on pay amid Stormont’s political deadlock.

Selections on different public sector staff, comparable to academics, civil servants and police, are awaited.

Nearly all of well being employees are to obtain at the very least a further £1,400 in pay whereas medical doctors and dentists might be given a 4.5% rise.

The will increase will come into impact earlier than the tip of the monetary yr and be backdated to 1 April this yr.

The separate impartial suggestions had been made by the NHS pay evaluation physique and evaluation physique on medical doctors’ and dentists’ remuneration.

The announcement was at all times unlikely to have affected the economic motion deliberate by well being employees, as NHS colleagues in Nice Britain have voted to strike having already acquired the 2022/23 rises.

The dearth of a devolved govt at Stormont had prevented the awards being made in Northern Eire earlier than the UK authorities intervened final month to go a funds for Stormont and hand civil servants further powers.

That is what Keir Starmer stated in his LBC phone-in when he was requested if he would do a take care of the SNP if that was essential to kind a authorities after the election. He stated:

We’re not doing a take care of the SNP. I say that in capitals, I say it in daring, I stated it at my celebration convention, I’ve stated it many instances earlier than and since.

When requested if he would follow that place even when it meant the Tories having the ability to proceed in workplace, he replied:

We’re not borrowing seats from the SNP and getting over the road. No deal.

The SNP must make their minds up. In the event that they wish to deliver down an incoming Labour authorities, and prop up a Tory authorities, then that’s their alternative, and that’s what they must promote again in Scotland. Good luck with that one.

However that is basic to me. Operating via the SNP is their mission to interrupt up the UK and for Scotland to develop into impartial. I essentially disagree. I consider in our union of countries, not simply due to what we’ve achieved traditionally collectively, however due to what we’ll obtain sooner or later. And if I have a look at the large challenges of our time, whether or not it’s Ukraine and safety, whether or not it’s a pandemic whether or not it’s how we develop our financial system, the local weather disaster, these are points which might be higher met as a union of 4 nations going ahead collectively.

So completely no take care of the SNP.

I do know what’s going to occur as we get in the direction of the election. There might be a number of graphs saying this variety of seats, that variety of seats. That’s why I’m saying up entrance, tattooing it my brow, no to take care of the SNP. We’re not going to do it.

There may be nothing new about this place, however not often has Starmer expressed his opposition to a take care of the SNP so bluntly.

In her interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Pat Cullen, the RCN common secretary, additionally restated a model of her supply, first made in the Observer, to pause this week’s strike in return for the opening of real talks with ministers on pay. She stated:

If [Steve Barclay, the health secretary] will get spherical a desk with us and has lifelike, trustworthy talks, there’s a powerful chance that I will return to my council and say: ‘I like to recommend that we avert the strikes and proceed these negotiations’. And I might additionally say the council would most definitely not be unreasonable about that.

Requested if she was ready to think about a proposal that’s decrease than the cash that the RCN has requested for, she stated:

It might not be for me to barter on the airwaves, I’m undoubtedly not going to do this. That’s for myself and the well being secretary, or via conciliation with Acas to get round a desk, however we is not going to be discovered wanting in getting in there and having these discussions.