UN agency and US labour secretary deny backing UK anti-strike bill

Gilbert Houngbo, director general of the International Labour Organization, said he was very worried by the proposed law. Photograph: Action Press/Rex/Shutterstock

The UN agency for workers’ rights and the US labour secretary have distanced themselves from the UK government’s claims that its strikes bill has the “international seal of approval”.

Number 10 hit back at the comments from Washington, saying far more restrictive rules were in place in many US states and that President Joe Biden himself had blocked a national rail strike.