Rail strikes will go ahead as RMT leader says government ‘actively prevented settlement to dispute’ – as it happened

Passengers in London walk past a travel information board, ahead of a planned national strike by rail workers. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

7.53pm BST

Summary

That’s all for today, ahead of the first day of this week’s strike for RMT staff on the rail network and on the London Underground.

Tomorrow’s strike will be the biggest strike on the railways since 1989.

• The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said the union had “no choice” over striking and that the government was not allowing rail companies to negotiate freely.
• Lynch said a “wave” of industrial action was coming amid the cost of living crisis and said the Labour party should find a way to “ride that wave of resistance”.
• Last-minute offers by train operating companies (TOCs) had been rejected today, he said in a statement.
  
• The. transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told the House of Commons that the strike was being organised by “some of the best-paid union barons representing some of the better paid workers in this country”.
• Shapps added that there was no place for the government in negotiations.
• The shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, accused Shapps of a “dereliction of duty” by not intervening.
  
• The TUC and the UK’s body representing recruiters had told the government to drop plans to lift a ban on agency staff filling in for workers who are out on strike.

Away from tomorrow’s industrial action

• Criminal barristers have voted for strike action over legal aid funding, that will begin next week.
• Downing Street has confirmed it asked the Times to withdraw a story that made allegations that Boris Johnson offered his now-wife, Carrie, a job while was foreign secretary.
• The TSSA rail union said it would be “outraged” if the government closed all ticket offices in England.
• Johnson successfully underwent an operation on his sinuses.

That’s all for today, thanks for following along. Here’s our story this evening on tomorrow’s strikes.

Updated at 7.59pm BST

6.42pm BST

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, is still ahead in one poll on who would be the best person to be prime minister compared with Boris Johnson.

His comparative ratings have dropped by 1%, according to pollster Redfield and Wilton Strategies, but still has a lead of four points over the prime minister. The “don’t know” option accounts for almost a third of respondees.

At this moment, which of the following individuals do you think would be the better PM for the UK? (19 June)

Keir Starmer: 37% (-1)
Boris Johnson: 33% (–)
Don't know: 30% (+1)

Changes +/- 12 June pic.twitter.com/7hKAUv8q1G

— Redfield & Wilton Strategies (@RedfieldWilton) June 20, 2022

Updated at 6.44pm BST