Shapps said the government want to end “forever strikes” and argued that the government’s legislation would bring the UK “into line” with other European countries.
The move has sparked threats of legal challenges, while Labour has said it would likely repeal the legislation.
The bill will be introduced to parliament on Tuesday afternoon, a day after crisis talks between ministers and unions failed to resolve industrial disputes involving nurses, teachers and rail workers.
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Shapps told GB News: “I’ll be introducing a minimum safety level bill, which will sort of say, ‘look, we will never withdraw the right to strike from people but when there are strikes on life and limb must come first, and there has to be a minimum safety standard put in place for that’.”
He added: “We don’t really ever want to have to use that legislation.
“In those most recent strikes, the Royal College of Nursing, the nurses, agreed a set national level of support.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get there with ambulances across the country, meaning there was a bit of a postcode lottery as to whether an ambulance would turn up in the case of something serious, like a heart attack or a stroke.
“We can’t have that, so common sense tells us that we need to have minimum safety levels.”
He suggested that improvements in efficiency could “unlock additional funding”, leading to an increased offer for the 2023/24 pay settlement in the spring.
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Sara Gorton, from Unison, said there had been an “acknowledgement” that avoiding strikes would “involve a reach-back” into the current pay year.
It raises the prospect that the pay deal for 2023/24, which is due to be agreed in time for April, could be backdated and applied to the final quarter of the 2022/23 financial year.
Ministers have previously refused to discuss wages for nurses and other public-sector workers, insisting those were matters for the independent pay review bodies.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak will chair his first Cabinet meeting of in 2023 on Tuesday morning.
Health secretary Steve Barclay said he was “hugely grateful” for the hard work of nurses but “deeply regrets” some taking action.
He claimed the RCN’s demands equated to a 19.2 per cent pay rise, costing £10 billion a year.
Pat Cullen, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted.”
Aaron Chown – PA Images via Getty Images
The strikes will take place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The RCN will announce which particular NHS employers will see action next week when formal notifications are submitted.
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In Scotland, the RCN has paused announcing strike action after the Scottish government reopened NHS pay negotiations.
The RCN say that despite this year’s pay award, experienced nurses are worse off by 20 per cent in real terms due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.
“Ministers have had more than two weeks since we confirmed that our members felt such injustice that they would strike for the first time,” RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said.
“My offer of formal negotiations was declined and instead ministers have chosen strike action. They have the power and the means to stop this by opening serious talks that address our dispute.
The RCN said the economic argument for paying nurses fairly is clear when billions of pounds is being spent on agency staff to plug workforce gaps.
In the last year, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register. There are 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in England’s NHS alone, the RCN said.
Barclay said: “These are challenging times for everyone and the economic circumstances mean the RCN’s demands, which on current figures are a 19.2 per cent pay rise, costing £10 billion a year, are not affordable.
“We have prioritised the NHS with an extra £6.6 billion, on top of previous record funding, and accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS pay review body to give nurses a fair pay rise of at least £1,400 this year.
“This means a newly qualified nurse will typically earn over £31,000 a year – with more senior nurses earning much more than that – they will also receive a pension contribution worth 20 per cent of their salary.
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“Our priority is keeping patients safe. The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”
The UK’s political landscape in April 2022 was a starkly different place for Rishi Sunak.
He was a chancellor who had enjoyed unusual popularity thanks to his support for workers during the pandemic only to be plunged into an unenviable position.
The country was facing the devastating economic fallout of Covid-19, Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine and the biggest squeeze on living standards since records began loomed large.
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Tables were turning on the chancellor who was criticised for not doing enough to support the poorest in his Spring statement.
So it was little wonder that when he went all “crypto bro” on us in April, the government was accused of being “out of touch”.
While millions were struggling financially, Sunak announced measures for the notoriously unregulated cryptocurrency sector, which features incredibly volatile currencies.
“It’s my ambition to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology,” he said.
The statement piece of the announcement was that Sunak had instructed the 1,136-year-old Royal Mint to issue a trendy non-fungible token by the summer.
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NFTs can be anything digital such as a drawing or music but each one is a unique “one of a kind” asset – rather like a famous painting.
Damien Hirst and Bella Hadid are among the celebrities venturing into the NFT world.
They are stored on a blockchain – the same decentralised ledger of transactions used to buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
The crypto-phenomenon has proved fashionable with celebrities, most recently supermodel Bella Hadid joined the metaverse with an NFT collection called CY-B3LLA – featuring artworks based on 3D scans of her body.
Artist Damien Hirst is also dabbling in NFTs, announcing he will burn thousands of his paintings as part of his year-long NFT project, titled The Currency.
Advertisement
Buyers who purchased one of the 10,000 NFTs for £1,600 each have been asked to choose whether to keep it or trade it for the physical work. If the former, the painting will now be exhibited before being burned.
However, critics of NFTs say the tokens are fundamentally valueless, unregulated and that fraud and scams are a risk.
Given the huge number of computers needed to continuously run for a blockchain to function, they argue NFTs are also bad for the environment.
Since the Treasury’s announcement there has been a major crash in cryptocurrencies and Sunak walked out of the government along with other key backers.
Sunak is now locked in a battle with foreign secretary Liz Truss to become the next Tory leader and prime minister. His team have been approached for comment.
The “Bored Ape” collection of digital images is perhaps the most well-known, having been bought and traded by celebrities for tens of thousands of dollars.
Noam Galai via Getty Images
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The Treasury originally said the NFT would be issued this summer, but next to nothing has been said about the initiative.
Four months since it was announced, the public is none the wiser.
Details of the project remain largely unknown and the government has never specified what image or object the Royal Mint’s NFT would confer ownership of.
But there is a new Treasury team in town, led by former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, so HuffPost UK sent them a slew of questions about the NFT.
We also submitted a Freedom of Information request, asking how much taxpayers’ cash was being spent on the project.
The Treasury FoI team confirmed they held the information but refused to divulge how much they were spending on the NFT.
They said the plans were still “under development” and that ministers and officials “need space” in which plans can be refined.
Meanwhile, the Treasury’s press office remained coy about the plans, insisting they were still going ahead but unable to confirm when.
A Treasury source said it was still their “intention” to issue an NFT this summer but was unable to be more specific.
Labour’s shadow economic secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq accused the government of “wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick”.
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She said the Conservatives should “come clean” about how much taxpayers’ money had been “thrown down the drain” and described the lack of transparency as “shocking”.
“With the value of crypto currencies in freefall, the government must ditch its lax attitude to crypto regulation and introduce a comprehensive regulatory regime for the sector,” she said.
“The Conservative’s wild west approach to crypto has put millions of people’s savings at risk and crypto-related crime in the UK – such as fraud and money laundering – is now at record levels.”
She also said that without proper regulation the UK was at risk of falling behind global competitors in FinTech such as the EU and US.
The Royal Mint remained tight-lipped saying they were “continuing” to develop their first NFT range and would share further details in “due course”.
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They did not answer a question about when it would launch.
Tulip Siddiq MP: “Instead of properly regulating the crypto sector to protect consumers and crack down on criminals, this incompetent government is wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick.”
House of Commons via PA Wire/PA Images
It comes after Crypto experienced one of the worst market crashes the new industry had ever witnessed – which saw popular currency bitcoin plummeting.
In a speech last month, Bank of England deputy Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe said the majority of crypto-tokens have “no intrinsic value” and are “inherently volatile, very vulnerable to sentiment and prone to collapse”.
However, the Treasury confirmed it was still “firmly committed” to its plans to create an NFT.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to putting the UK at the forefront of cryptoasset technology and innovation by capitalising on the freedoms gained by leaving the European Union.
“Our framework will support the safe adoption of crypto whilst giving regulators the agility to respond to market developments, support innovation and protect consumers.
Advertisement
“Our forthcoming Financial Services and Markets Bill will set up the framework for regulating stablecoins in the UK and we will be consulting on a world-leading regime for the rest of the crypto market later this year.”
The UK’s political landscape in April 2022 was a starkly different place for Rishi Sunak.
He was a chancellor who had enjoyed unusual popularity thanks to his support for workers during the pandemic only to be plunged into an unenviable position.
The country was facing the devastating economic fallout of Covid-19, Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine and the biggest squeeze on living standards since records began loomed large.
Advertisement
Tables were turning on the chancellor who was criticised for not doing enough to support the poorest in his Spring statement.
So it was little wonder that when he went all “crypto bro” on us in April, the government was accused of being “out of touch”.
While millions were struggling financially, Sunak announced measures for the notoriously unregulated cryptocurrency sector, which features incredibly volatile currencies.
“It’s my ambition to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology,” he said.
The statement piece of the announcement was that Sunak had instructed the 1,136-year-old Royal Mint to issue a trendy non-fungible token by the summer.
Advertisement
NFTs can be anything digital such as a drawing or music but each one is a unique “one of a kind” asset – rather like a famous painting.
Damien Hirst and Bella Hadid are among the celebrities venturing into the NFT world.
They are stored on a blockchain – the same decentralised ledger of transactions used to buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
The crypto-phenomenon has proved fashionable with celebrities, most recently supermodel Bella Hadid joined the metaverse with an NFT collection called CY-B3LLA – featuring artworks based on 3D scans of her body.
Artist Damien Hirst is also dabbling in NFTs, announcing he will burn thousands of his paintings as part of his year-long NFT project, titled The Currency.
Advertisement
Buyers who purchased one of the 10,000 NFTs for £1,600 each have been asked to choose whether to keep it or trade it for the physical work. If the former, the painting will now be exhibited before being burned.
However, critics of NFTs say the tokens are fundamentally valueless, unregulated and that fraud and scams are a risk.
Given the huge number of computers needed to continuously run for a blockchain to function, they argue NFTs are also bad for the environment.
Since the Treasury’s announcement there has been a major crash in cryptocurrencies and Sunak walked out of the government along with other key backers.
Sunak is now locked in a battle with foreign secretary Liz Truss to become the next Tory leader and prime minister. His team have been approached for comment.
The “Bored Ape” collection of digital images is perhaps the most well-known, having been bought and traded by celebrities for tens of thousands of dollars.
Noam Galai via Getty Images
Advertisement
The Treasury originally said the NFT would be issued this summer, but next to nothing has been said about the initiative.
Four months since it was announced, the public is none the wiser.
Details of the project remain largely unknown and the government has never specified what image or object the Royal Mint’s NFT would confer ownership of.
But there is a new Treasury team in town, led by former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, so HuffPost UK sent them a slew of questions about the NFT.
We also submitted a Freedom of Information request, asking how much taxpayers’ cash was being spent on the project.
The Treasury FoI team confirmed they held the information but refused to divulge how much they were spending on the NFT.
They said the plans were still “under development” and that ministers and officials “need space” in which plans can be refined.
Meanwhile, the Treasury’s press office remained coy about the plans, insisting they were still going ahead but unable to confirm when.
A Treasury source said it was still their “intention” to issue an NFT this summer but was unable to be more specific.
Labour’s shadow economic secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq accused the government of “wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick”.
Advertisement
She said the Conservatives should “come clean” about how much taxpayers’ money had been “thrown down the drain” and described the lack of transparency as “shocking”.
“With the value of crypto currencies in freefall, the government must ditch its lax attitude to crypto regulation and introduce a comprehensive regulatory regime for the sector,” she said.
“The Conservative’s wild west approach to crypto has put millions of people’s savings at risk and crypto-related crime in the UK – such as fraud and money laundering – is now at record levels.”
She also said that without proper regulation the UK was at risk of falling behind global competitors in FinTech such as the EU and US.
The Royal Mint remained tight-lipped saying they were “continuing” to develop their first NFT range and would share further details in “due course”.
Advertisement
They did not answer a question about when it would launch.
Tulip Siddiq MP: “Instead of properly regulating the crypto sector to protect consumers and crack down on criminals, this incompetent government is wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick.”
House of Commons via PA Wire/PA Images
It comes after Crypto experienced one of the worst market crashes the new industry had ever witnessed – which saw popular currency bitcoin plummeting.
In a speech last month, Bank of England deputy Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe said the majority of crypto-tokens have “no intrinsic value” and are “inherently volatile, very vulnerable to sentiment and prone to collapse”.
However, the Treasury confirmed it was still “firmly committed” to its plans to create an NFT.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to putting the UK at the forefront of cryptoasset technology and innovation by capitalising on the freedoms gained by leaving the European Union.
“Our framework will support the safe adoption of crypto whilst giving regulators the agility to respond to market developments, support innovation and protect consumers.
Advertisement
“Our forthcoming Financial Services and Markets Bill will set up the framework for regulating stablecoins in the UK and we will be consulting on a world-leading regime for the rest of the crypto market later this year.”
A health minister has added to the confusion over coronavirus travel rules after saying going abroad is “dangerous” and “not for this year”.
Lord Bethell’s comments come after environment secretary George Eustice was slapped down by No.10 for suggesting people could travel to so-called “amber list” countries to visit friends.
Boris Johnson also later stressed that amber list countries were “not somewhere you should be going on holiday”.
But Bethell went much further than government rules, which allows people to travel to Portugal, Iceland and nine other countries without having to quarantine on their return, opening the door to summer holidays.
The peer’s comments are the latest example of chaotic messaging on foreign travel from the government, and are likely to fuel confusion following the lifting of the ban on foreign holidays on Monday.
He made his remarks amid continuing concern over the rise in cases of the potentially more transmissible variant that originated in India in parts of England.
Labour said the confusion had created “dangerous chaos” and called for “a pause on international travel”, while Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has labelled the UK’s border policy a “joke”.
Going much further than the government position, Bethell said: “Travelling is dangerous. That is not news to us or to the people who get on those planes in the first place.
“We do ask people, particularly as we go into the summer, travelling is not for this year, please stay in this country.”
Gareth Fuller – PA Images via Getty ImagesPassengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport on Monday
Earlier, Eustice struck a markedly different tone, suggesting people could travel to even amber list countries if they “feel the need” to visit family or friends.
But the prime minister’s official spokesperson said travel to amber list countries was only permitted for a very limited number of reasons.
“The position remains that people should not travel to amber list countries and that is to protect public health,” they said.
“We recognise that the restrictions that have been placed are difficult for the public.
“There may be essential reasons for which people still have to travel to amber list countries but of course strict quarantine and testing measures will apply.
“There are some limited reasons why it might be acceptable to travel – for work purposes, protecting essential services or compassionate reasons such as a funeral or care of a family member but otherwise people should not be travelling to these countries.”
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “The Conservatives’ border policies have unravelled into dangerous chaos within a matter of hours since international travel was opened up.
“There is a lack of strategy, which has meant the UK government, and their own ministers, are giving out conflicting and confused advice about whether people are allowed to travel, especially between ‘amber list’ countries.
“Labour has been clear that there should be a pause on international travel, to guard against further importing of dangerous strains, setting back hopes for ending restrictions.”
