Angela Eagle MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting on the prospect of public sector strikes, said:

“Strikes should always be last resort and are usually a sign of failure - failure the country cannot afford.

"The Government needs to convince people it is not trying to create such failure.

“Ministers must show a willingness to conduct proper and meaningful negotiations rather than pursuing a path of deliberate confrontation.

"But unions should also demonstrate they intend to exhaust every option of reaching a settlement before considering strike action.

"On a day when unemployment has hit 2.5 million and more than one in five young people are out of work, I urge all sides to step back from a confrontation that will further harm the economy and make life tougher still for millions of British families.”