Good news: Labour have solved the looming strike crisis. According to Sir Keir, ensuring a minimal level of service through new legislation isn’t “the best way forward“. Instead, the Government should learn from the wisdom of the Welsh and Scottish administrations.

Speaking at Labour’s event this morning, Starmer said:

“Government has been sitting on its hands throughout these disputes, rather than resolving them. Go to Wales and you will see a different government taking a different approach and some not dissimilar disputes have actually been resolved. What underpins these industrial disputes? It’s a cost-of-living crisis which is pressing down on people because the economy isn’t working.”

He said much the same on BBC Breakfast, insisting, “These disputes are quite capable of being resolved. What you’ve seen in Wales is the resolution of similar disputes. Same thing in Scotland.” Which must be news to thousands of nurses and teachers about to go on strike there…

In Scotland, schools are seeing their first national strike action in four decades over demands for a 10% pay rise. Meanwhile in Wales, nurses who are members of the the Royal College of Nursing will join English and Northern Irish members in striking on both 15 and 20 December. 1,500 ambulance workers from the GMB union are also walking out. That “different approach” is working out well…