Labour on Monday accused the UK government of trashing centuries-old civil liberties as ministers put forward new legislation in parliament that would blunt the impact of industrial action by public sector workers.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said that although many MPs from the ruling Conservative party believed in the principle of civil liberties, “with this bill they are burning freedoms for which we fought for centuries”.
The bill, which would mandate minimum service levels during strikes, is the government’s response to the worst wave of industrial action in decades, as nurses and ambulance staff, rail and postal workers and civil servants demand higher pay to shield them from the surge in living costs.