The Transport Secretary has caused a stir after accusing rail unions of 'cynically targeting' major events to cause disruption.
It comes after the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced it would hold a fresh strike on May 13, the same day as the Eurovision final, after rejecting the latest pay deal from train operators. Meanwhile, the Aslef union will host a strike on June 3, the day of the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City in London, after rejecting an offer from 16 train firms.
In an interview on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mark Harper said that instead of putting the pay offer to its members and letting them decide, they are instead calling strikes "which are cynically targeting the Eurovision song contest".
