David Cameron accused of ‘spoiling for a fight’

THE strikes by public sector workers were dismissed as a “damp squib” by David Cameron yesterday in ill-tempered clashes during Prime Minister’s Questions.

With picket lines outside parliament, Labour leader Ed Miliband accused the government of failing to listen to the concerns of the poorest paid and claimed Mr Cameron actually wanted the strikes to go ahead.

He said that many public sector workers earned less than the Chancellor George Osborne spent on his £11,000 skiing holiday.

But Mr Cameron described him as being “left wing, weak and in the pay of the unions” as the two clashed in the Commons chamber.

He said Labour was in the pay of the union barons and joked that his opponents were “heckling in unison or for Unison.”

The Labour leader had been accused of avoiding the subject of strikes in recent clashes in PMQs but yesterday he waded in. He asked: “Why do you think so many decent, hard-working public sector workers, many of whom have never been on strike before, feel the government simply isn’t listening?”

Mr Cameron told him: “The reason people are going on strike is because they object to the reforms we are making to public sector pensions.

“I believe those reforms are absolutely essential and as the former Labour pensions secretary Lord Hutton said ‘it is hard to imagine a better deal than this’.” Union members taking part in the industrial action were striking at a time when negotiations were still taking place, he added.

Mr Miliband had refused to back strikes in June because talks were continuing and Mr Cameron asked: “Why have you changed your mind?”

With Commons Speaker John Bercow struggling to maintain order, the Labour leader said ministers had made their “final offer” and had not met the unions since 2 November.

Mr Cameron, he said, was telling people he was “privately delighted the unions had walked in to his trap”.

Mr Miliband added: “That is the reality, he has been spoiling for this fight and the reason people have lost faith is he’s not being straight with people.”

He said 800,000 workers on £15,000 or less faced an immediate 3 per cent “tax rise” as a result of the plans.

Mr Cameron said: “I know your party is paid for by the unions but I have to say, it is extraordinary that what you have just told the House is completely and utterly untrue.

“There were meetings with the trade unions yesterday, there will be meetings with the trade unions tomorrow, there will be meetings on Friday.

“These discussions, these negotiations are under way.”

He said Mr Miliband now backed the strikes “because he is irresponsible, left-wing and weak”.