Striking workers cause misery and our armed forces bear the brunt

strikes

It’s bad enough destroying the chances of a Christmas vacation for thousands of families.

But there is something particularly despicable about the misery the unions are inflicting on our brave armed forces who are forced to fill in for striking Border Force workers.

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Soldiers must ask themselves why they have to sacrifice valuable family time for passport control at airports when, in most cases, they earn less than the border guards they fill in for.

This, of course, is only a consequence of the selfish chaos being unleashed across a range of vital industries by the militants in charge of our unions.

While they despise wage offers that most private sector workers would jump on, they risk doing lasting damage to our public services.

Just as importantly, our troops can focus on threats other than cleaning up the union mess.

For this reason, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must stick to his bill to neutralize strike powers, which have been blatantly abused by left-wing hardliners with a clear political agenda.

Of course, the unions will make every threat they can think of – including that any such action will be met with a general strike.

But isn’t that what we are already exposed to, except for the name?

You can do it

TONIGHT will see the nation’s eyes on another duel with dangerous strikers: Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe at the World Cup.

This is where the competition gets tough – but as Gareth Southgate says, England have earned the right not to have an inferiority complex.

Whether it’s Jude versus Giroud, Henderson versus Hernandez, Rice versus Rabiot, Foden versus Fofana or Kane versus Kounde, England’s Lions should be as feared as France’s stars.

The sun did our part – projecting images of our heroes across Paris and bringing lucky mascots Chesney Hawkes and Harry Mane to Qatar.

Now it’s time to do business in the square.

Let’s make french toast, boys.

That is the ghost

WE toast historic pubs saved through a combination of local effort and government funding.

Michael Gove’s Leveling-up Funding Initiative has saved 17 popular drunkards this year, with many more in the pipeline.

But these latest measures can only be part of the solution as nearly one in 100 pubs closed for good in the first nine months of this year.

For the industry’s long-term survival, the government must lower VAT on pub meals – and put them on a level playing field with supermarket competitors.

It’s time, Minister, please.