The blame game has shifted on strikes – and it’s the government, not the unions, in the firing line

Editorial: It would be bad enough for Sunak if the public blamed the Tories, rather than Labour, for the strike action over Christmas. But the reality is even worse

Today’s polling in The Independent makes extremely unpleasant reading for the prime minister (Reuters)

Today’s poll in The Independent makes extremely unpleasant reading for the prime minister. Rishi Sunak already faces an extraordinarily long list of enormous – arguably intractable – problems. Striking workers have historically ridden to the accidental rescue of Tory governments, or helped to sink Labour ones, when easy politics has allowed Conservatives to blame industrial action on hardline trade union officials, and – by association – on the Labour Party.

It would be bad enough for Rishi Sunak if the public merely blamed the government, rather than Labour, for the ongoing strike action over the Christmas period, but the reality is worse. The public support the strikers.

A Savanta poll found that almost two in three voters (63 per cent) would back NHS nurses taking more strike action next year if their pay demands are not met. In the private sector, strike action is meant to strong-arm bosses into improving pay and conditions by harming their business. In the public sector, NHS staff are voting to temporarily worsen public services, and the public clearly support them.