Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson and the transport secretary Grant Shapps of "stoking divisions" over nationwide rail strikes set to take place this week.
The Labour leader will accuse the government of "pouring petrol on the fire" over its handling of the dispute with unions, instead of attempting to take the heat out of the row.
His remarks come after the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) confirmed yesterday the strike action would go ahead after the failure of talks to resolve a bitter dispute over workers' conditions.
Union members at Network Rail and 13 train operators will stage 24-hour walkouts on 21, 23 and 25 June, with disruption also possible for the rest of the week. There will also be industrial action on London Underground services on 21 June.
Over the weekend, the chief executive of the industry group UKHospitality, Kate Nicholls, suggested the tourism, leisure and theatre industries were "looking at an economic hit of over a billion pounds".
This story is from the June 19, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the June 19, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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