UK civil servants in Whitehall and frontline services vote to strike

With inflation at 10.1% and many public sector workers having suffered a decade of pay restraint, the scene is set for a fierce confrontation. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Civil servants running public services from passports to pensions have voted to take strike action, joining a wave of stoppages expected to hit the UK, as workers fight to protect their living standards in the face of double-digit inflation.

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) announced on Thursday that the threshold for strike action had been hit in 126 public sector workplaces, covering 100,000 workers.