Carrots, sticks and Thatcher replays: what is Sunak’s strikes strategy?

Passengers stand outside locked gates at the entrance to Southfields underground station in south London. Photograph: Joe Sene/PA

With new public sector strikes arriving on an almost weekly basis, ministers and unions are at loggerheads to an extent not seen for decades. But beyond the disputes themselves is another layer of disagreement: what exactly is the government’s plan?

Away from the picket lines there is a fierce parallel battle being waged for public opinion, and to blame the disruption on – depending on your vantage point – bumbling ministers, over-powerful union leaders, or the Labour party.