Train drivers’ union accuses ministers of intentionally prolonging rail strikes – UK politics live

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan says strikes are ‘government-led’ due to lack of compromise from ministers

Good morning – unless you were hoping to travel somewhere by train, in which case it probably isn’t. As Gwyn Topham reports, a strike by the train drivers’ union Asleft will severely disrupt rail services in England today, while tomorrow there will be further cancellations because the RMT is going on strike.

Mick Whelan, the Aslef general secretary, and Huw Merriman, the rail minister, have both been doing a media round this morning. Whelan blamed the government for the strikes, claiming it had blocked moves that might lead to a settlement. He told BBC Breakfast:

At some point someone’s going to realise these are government-led strikes, the government are interfering their free collective bargaining process and they want unrealistic targets.

They sent out a deal before Christmas that we’d never seen, we’d never negotiated and tried to force it through by the back door in a total act of bad faith, and even then we came back from the table.