Inside Politics: Network fail

Rail strikes set to go ahead in row over pay and conditions and byelection candidates omit any mention of Boris Johnson in campaign literature, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Travel chaos continued over the weekend, with Heathrow asking airlines flying from Terminals 2 and 3 to cancel 10 per cent of their schedules for Monday due to mounting problems with its suitcase handling. Will Boris Johnson’s baggage cost the Tories at two byelections later this week? Candidates in the contests are not mentioning him in campaign literature. Rail strikes look certain to go ahead with no resolution found on pay and conditions.

Inside the bubble

Commons action gets underway with Home Office questions at 2.30pm. After that comes the second reading of the High Speed Rail Bill.

Daily Briefing

Strike action

There is one major story dominating the agenda this morning – the rail strikes taking place on most major lines across Britain on tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday. Workers on the London Underground also planning walkouts on Tuesday. Services across England, Scotland and Wales will run on special timetables from this evening ahead of the biggest industrial action on the railways in some 30 years.

Workers are taking action over job cuts, pay and conditions. Talks yesterday aimed at resolving the dispute failed, and although there are more discussions due to take place this morning, the chances of a breakthrough look increasingly slim – with the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union and rail bosses said to be far apart on the former’s call for a 7 per cent pay rise.

How are the political parties handling the dispute? Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, says the strikes should not go ahead but has stopped short of condemning them. The party has joined Britain’s major trade unions in urging the government to “get round” the negotiating table to try to find a resolution.

But ministers are not getting involved, arguing it is for the unions and their employers to find a solution – the RMT says rail bosses haven’t been given enough flexibility by ministers to agree a deal. Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of wanting the strikes to go ahead so that he can “feed off division” ahead of two crucial byelections on Thursday (more on those below) – an allegation denied by Downing Street.

The story splashes the front of most major news outlets this morning, with warnings from the RMT that the strikes could last until the autumn. Meanwhile, teaching and NHS unions have also warned they could take action if the government does not boost pay amid soaring inflation, as fears grow over a “summer of discontent” and a looming recession.

(PA)

Boris who?

There are now just four days to go until two big byelections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, both of which the Tories look set to lose. Polls suggest Labour will take the West Yorkshire seat while the Lib Dems are on course to oust the incumbent party in the Devon constituency.

Defeat in both would put the PM under pressure once again and further weaken his authority in the aftermath of his narrow victory in a confidence vote earlier this month.

Tory rebels looking to remove Johnson from office are likely to use the defeats as evidence that he has lost his electoral appeal among working-class voters in ‘red wall’ constituencies in the north of England as well as middle-class voters in traditionally “true blue” areas in the south.

Conservative campaign leaflets and advertisements relating to the forthcoming contests omit any mention of Johnson – a theme seen at the local elections in May.

A pamphlet distributed by Helen Hurford, the Tory candidate in Tiverton and Honiton, makes no reference to her party on its cover.

On the record

“In any pay discussion, in any negotiation over terms, over in this case modernisation, it’s always the employer and the union who need to get together to speak.”

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, says its not for government to intervene on rail strikes.

From the Twitterati

“Jake Berry tells Times Radio that the govt should join negotiations with the RMT to stop the strikes. Not exactly the govt line. Grant Shapps said this morn that ministers cannot get involved.”

Rachel Wearmouth, Daily Mirror senior politics correspondent, notes splits on Tory approach to rail strikes.

Essential reading

• Jack Straw, The Independent: We must face the fact that rape is being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine
• Clare Foges, The Times: Boris Johnson is neither good chap nor great man
• George Monbiot, The Guardian: Only a tiny minority of rural Britons are farmers – so why do they hold such sway?
• Bel Trew, The Independent: The new declaration on bombing urban areas is vital – but does it go far enough?