Inside Politics: Getting home for Christmas

Border Force staff are latest public sector workers to walk out in row over pay and conditions and UK and Scottish government on collision course over gender laws, writes Matt Mathers

(Simon Calder)

Hello there, I’m Matt Mathers and welcome to The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter.

That’s all from us for 2022. Inside Politics will be back in your inbox on 3 January.

Thanks to all of you for reading during what has been another crazy year in UK politics.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to one and all.

Inside the bubble

Parliament returns on 9 January.

Daily briefing

Travel chaos

Flying away for Christmas? Airline passengers have been warned to expect delays at airports today as Border Force staff go on strike. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, who usually check passports, walk out every day until the end of the year – apart from 27 December – in a row over pay and conditions.

The strike begins on the busiest day of the winter for Heathrow and Gatwick, the two biggest airports in the UK. Longer queues are also expected at Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff airports. The Home Office said it is working to minimise disruption to travellers.

Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, has warned there could be months of disruption if the government does not improve its 2 per cent pay offer. “We think that the action at the borders is going to be very effective,” he told BBC Radio 4 Today earlier this morning. “We hope that the government will therefore do the right thing and get around the negotiating table and put some money upfront. I think in January what you will see is a huge escalation of this action in the Civil Service and across the rest of our economy unless the government get around the negotiating table.”

(Simon Calder)

Travel chaos today will not be confined to airports: officials have warned that millions of Britons face unprecedented disruption on the road and rail networks. Motorists have been warned the drive home could “spiral into a traffic nightmare” and be mired by breakdowns as 17 million drivers are expected on the roads in the next two days during a four-day National Highways walkout.

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Gender row

Scotland has become the first part of the UK to approve gender self-identification plans that some applauded as a “historic day for equality”, while others protested over the rights of women and girls.

The UK government has said it may block Scotland’s controversial new gender recognition laws – but Holyrood has warned any attempt to do so would be “vigorously contested”.

MSPs backed the proposals by 86 to 39 in the final vote in the Scottish parliament, making it easier and less intrusive for individuals to legally change their gender, while extending the system of self-identification to 16- and 17-year-olds for the first time.

The reforms, which have split the ruling SNP, remove the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria before a gender recognition certificate can be obtained.

Opponents say it could endanger women and girls by putting single-sex spaces at risk, something the Scottish government has repeatedly denied.

Today’s cartoon

See all of The Independent’s daily cartoons here

(Dave Brown)

On the record

Alister Jack, the Scotland secretary, on SNP’s new gender recognition laws.

“We share the concerns that many people have regarding certain aspects of this bill, and in particular the safety issues for women and children.We will look closely at that, and also the ramifications for the 2010 Equality Act and other UK-wide legislation, in the coming weeks – up to and including a Section 35 order stopping the bill going for Royal Assent if necessary.”

From the Twitterati

Chaminda Jayanetti, freelance journalist, on Labour plans to target ‘middle-age mortgage man’ at next election.

“This looks a bit confused – are 50-year-olds really the ones struggling with mortgages in Leave-voting target seats where housing is cheaper? I’d take 5-10 years off. You’d still mostly be talking about 2019 Tory voters (or stay-at-homes).”

Essential reading

• Jon Stone, The Independent: Brexit red tape is no accident – it’s government policy
• Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Stagflation is here and the Sunak government looks adrift
• Alex Massie, The Times: Sturgeon’s gender bill should worry Labour
• Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Stagflation is here and the Sunak government looks adrift
• Alex Massie, The Times: Sturgeon’s gender bill should worry Labour
• Mary Dejevsky, The Independent: Zelensky’s trip to the US leaves some unanswered questions

Inside Politics first appeared in our daily morning email. You can sign up via this link.