Shapps: We’ll take on the unions crippling country

TRANSPORT Secretary Grant Shapps last night vowed he and fellow ministers will emulate Margaret Thatcher by taking on the unions.

- Steph Spyro

Mr Shapps said the former prime minister delivered prosperity “by taking them on – and so will we”.

Rail workers will plunge the nation into chaos again today when they walk out in the long-running row over pay and conditions.

But Mr Shapps insisted the Government would not back down.

The Cabinet minister said: “Margaret Thatcher knew Luddite trade unions were a barrier to reform.

“Today, we publish our 16-point plan to continue her work. We support the right to strike. But we must reset the balance. We must protect essential services.

“There’s another echo of Thatcher’s time. Across the public sector, the unions are becoming more open that their real ambition is an autumn of strikes.