Strike news – live: Christmas party cancellations ‘near Covid levels’ amid December walkouts

The upcoming rail strikes will also knock out £1.5bn from revenues, as reported by Bloomberg.

Scottish ministers will continue to let down ordinary workers if they ignore proposed tax reforms in an upcoming budget statement, a trade union boss has warned.

Research from the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said an additional £1.3 billion can be raised if measures like reducing the threshold for the highest tax rate was introduced.

It would see it reduced from £43,663 to £40,000, with other increases to certain council tax bands.

Deputy First Minister, and interim Finance Secretary, John Swinney will set out the budget on December 15.

Hundreds of workers from a raft of trade unions, including the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) and NASUWT who are currently on their second day of strike action, rallied outside the Scottish Parliament ahead of the budget.

Roz Foyer, STUC general secretary, said only a lack of ambition and political will would see ministers opt not to introduce the measures, which she said will help fund local services and provide fair pay deals to workers.

Speaking during the rally, she told the PA news agency that the Scottish Government was fully aware of what is expected of it.

She said: “The reason workers are having to take strike action is because they are scared. They can’t pay their bills and their lives are not sustainable at the moment.

“The politicians have really let us down here in our hour of need. We need them to be on our side.”

She added: “There is absolutely no reason why they can’t take these political decisions and undertake what we’re asking for.

“Everything we’re asking for is affordable if they take the actions that we’ve proposed to them.

“At the end of they day, we know it’s not through lack of ability. If they don’t introduce a budget that redistributes wealth in our economy then it will be through lack of ambition and political will, nothing else.”

The research, carried out by Landman Economic, also suggests about £3.3 billion could be raised in the medium term with the introduction of measures like wealth taxes and council tax replacement by April 2026.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Supporting fair public sector pay settlements continues to be a priority for Scottish Ministers in the face of the cost of living crisis, with more than £700 million extra re-allocated to enhance pay this year.

“The Scottish Government has already delivered the fairest and most progressive tax system in the UK while raising extra revenue to invest in public services and Scotland’s economy.

“Proposals on tax policy for 2023-24 will be published as part of the Scottish Budget on December 15.”

Downing Street has said giving double-digit pay rises across the public sector would “embed inflation” and be “acting against everyone’s interests”.

The prime minister’s spokesman said: “It is inflation that is our shared enemy and if we were to push ahead with double-digit pay deals across the public sector, at a cost of £28 billion, that’s a cost of £1,000 per household.

“That would embed inflation, which currently is expected to fall significantly next year.

“So we would be acting against everyone’s interests if we were to take all the demands and meet them in full.”

Downing Street has denied it was trying to worsen relations with the unions by threatening to introduce laws to curb the impact of strikes of frontline workers.

The prime minister’s spokesman said: “What we are looking to do is to keep people safe and keep the country moving. Those are our aims, we’re not looking to worsen our relations with any group.

“We believe we’ve acted reasonably when it comes to both agreeing the payoff as recommended by the independent boards and in facilitating the discussions we need to reach some sort of resolution.

“Given what we’re seeing and the need to protect people from inflation we must also go further and consider further powers to try and mitigate against some of the disruption.”

The new coal mine would be “net zero”, Michael Gove insisted, as he encouraged MPs to read the official report underpinning the decision.

The Communities Secretary said: “It is the case that the inspector makes clear... that in all of the scenarios and forecasts presented to him there was a continued demand for coking coal for a number of decades.

“The inspector also made clear that at the moment imports of coking coal into this country come from Australia, the USA, and Russia. It is also the case, as I pointed out in the statement and as the inspector makes clear, that no evidence was provided to suggest that there are any other metallurgical coal mines in the world that aspire to be net zero in the way that the Whitehaven development would do.”

He also claimed the inspector said the mine would “support the transition to a low carbon future as a consequence of the provision of a currently needed resource from a mine that aspires to be net zero.”.

He added: “I would urge everyone to read the inspector’s report in full.”

On strikes, Conservative Sir Christopher Chope (Christchurch) asked: “Isn’t it time that the Government got a grip on this?”

He said: “Can I ask (Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt) why there’s nothing in her statement about the disruption to lives and livelihoods being caused by strikes over the next month?

“We’ve heard rumours that the Government’s going to bring in emergency legislation, there’s nothing referred to in her statement and we’re now going to have a recess for about a month.

“Is she expecting these strikes to disrupt lives with impunity up until 9 January and what’s going to happen after that? Isn’t it time that the Government got a grip on this?”

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt replied: “(He’s) absolutely right, these strikes particularly on transport are going to be incredibly disruptive for people especially those that are - don’t have an alternative other than to use public transport and I think it’s particularly difficult for people who may not now be able to see each other over the Christmas period when families want to come together.

“The minimum services legislation has already been introduced but he will know that the Prime Minister is giving this his attention as a priority and is looking at what further things we can do to ensure that the public can rely on basic levels of service across these very important areas.”

The prime minister’s spokesman said: “These rolling strikes will cause disruption to everyone and that does also include our military personnel who will be required unfortunately to have to step in and backfill some of these vital roles we need to keep the country moving.

“We recognise that they have been called on to do this before and I’m sure the public thanks them once again for the work they’re preparing to do.”

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the next Labour government will work with business to make Britain an “enterprising, dynamic” nation.

Concluding her speech to hundreds of business leaders, she said: “Britain can achieve so much in innovation, in trade and in growth.

“We have the ability, but we need government and business working together to make the most of that great potential, to spread opportunity far and wide right across the country, and to allow everyone with the talent, the effort and the ideas to see their vision through to reality.

“That is the task ahead - to build the Britain that I know we can be: an enterprising, dynamic country able to rise to the challenges posed in a changing world.

“The work to make this a reality will begin on day one of the next Labour government.”

Home secretary Suella Braverman has warned Britons to “think carefully” before going ahead with plans to travel abroad this Christmas.

Ms Braverman said planned strikes by Border Force officials will “undeniably” cause serious disruption to hundreds of thousands of travellers hoping to use ports and airports.

The home secretary confirmed she has plans to call in the military to fill the places of striking workers.

But she said she would not compromise on security at the border to ease the expected queues and delays, and told would-be travellers to expect long waits.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:

Walkout by passport staff will ‘undeniably’ cause delays and cancellations for thousands

Cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden said he has confidence in the power networks “barring a very exceptional circumstance”.

Labour MP Afzal Khan, who is a shadow justice minister but was speaking from the backbenches, said: “The UK’s power supply is already stretched to breaking point with the National Grid telling us that blackouts are now a very real possibility.”

He asked: “Can the minister urgently explain to my vulnerable constituents what they should do to remain safe and warm in the event of a power blackout during freezing cold temperatures?”

Mr Dowden said: “In respect of the winter weather, the Cabinet Office is keeping a close eye on it, and indeed I have been briefed on the situation. On the wider situation in relation to energy supply, I am working closely with my colleague (Business Secretary Grant Shapps).

“He and I have strong confidence about the resilience of the UK power networks. And excepting a very exceptional circumstance, we are confident that we will continue supply throughout the winter.”

Mr Dowden later told the House: “We continually test our plans and our resilience... barring a very exceptional circumstance, the Business Secretary and I have confidence in our power networks.”