Government accused of using ‘scare tactics’ to frighten public about nurse strike

Doubt over government claims about cost of wage demands

The government has been accused of using “scare tactics” to frighten the public about workers going on strike.

Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden on Sunday was accused of pushing misleading figures about how much it would cost to meet nurses’ and other workers’ demands.

Ministers have repeatedly claimed households would be worse off by £1,000 unless it cuts the wages of public sector workers in real terms.