British rail workers kicked off the new year with a week-long strike on Tuesday, disrupting the return to work for millions of commuters in the latest bout of industrial action to hit the country.

UK rail staff disrupted the New Year return to work on Tuesday in the latest strike action by workers in a range of sectors over the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

The king also commended charities for their "extraordinary work in the most difficult circumstances".

Military personnel stood in for passport control staff at UK airports on Friday as Border Force officers walked out in an escalating wave of public sector strikes over pay.

Half the services to Spain have been slashed, and a third of those to Italy.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay, writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, accused the unions of making a "conscious decision" to "inflict harm" on patients.

British public borrowing unexpectedly jumped last month to hit its highest for any November on record, reflecting the mounting cost of energy subsidies, debt interest and the reversal of an increase in payroll taxes, official figures showed on Wednesday.

UK nurses on Tuesday staged a second one-day strike amid an increasingly acrimonious fight with the government for better wages and warnings that patient safety could be jeopardised.

Strike action scheduled to begin on December 29 remains in place pending the outcome of the ballot of members.

UK nurses stage unprecedented walkout

British inflation slowed more than expected in November but remained near the highest level in more than 40 years, official data showed Wednesday, as a cost-of-living crisis sparks fresh UK strikes.

Average pay for British public sector workers fell to a 19-year low in October, after adjusting for inflation, according to official data on Tuesday that underscored why so many are going on strike.

The United Kingdom recorded the highest number of working days lost to labour disputes in October for more than 10 years, official data showed on Tuesday, as employees went on strike to demand higher pay in the face of soaring inflation.

Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will hold a one-day stoppage on Thursday

British nurses will go on strike this week, hitting already stretched hospitals and cranking up pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to quell the biggest wave of industrial action to hit the country in decades.

Numerous other public and private sector staff, from lawyers to airport ground personnel, have also held strikes this year

Numerous other public and private sector staff, from lawyers to airport ground personnel, have also held strikes this year.

Since 2019, issues around pay and working conditions have now surpassed pensions and become the main driver for the strikes.

The moment of truth is almost here for Britain's new prime minister Rishi Sunak and finance minister Jeremy Hunt.

British employers are planning the biggest pay hikes in a decade to fill roles but real-term wages will still grow more slowly than inflation, a survey showed on Monday.

Greek workers went on a day-long strike on Wednesday, demanding higher wages to cope with surging inflation, as Europe's soaring energy prices and living costs trigger industrial action and protests across the continent.

Britain's House of Lords shares some characteristics with the Chinese National People's Congress: their signature colours are red, and neither is elected by popular vote.

Newly confirmed finance minister Jeremy Hunt must keep investors calm about Britain's debt mountain, avoid causing a deep recession and work out a way to stop the Conservative Party from splintering again - and all of it by next Monday.

Sudden changes in the gilts market are rare, but when they do happen it can cause major problems for certain types of pension scheme.

France faced disruptions on Tuesday after unions called a nationwide transport strike.

Only three companies out of 20 have published objectives for employee mental health management, a study from British charity investment manager CCLA revealed on Monday, despite "clear evidence" that such targets can save money.

Train travel in Britain was disrupted on Wednesday by the latest in a string of strikes by railway workers over wages.

From 1925, the Bank of England had kept interest rates high to keep the pound at a fixed parity to gold

Liz Truss's government is following an economic doctrine which argues that richer people are more likely to invest, set up businesses, hire people and grow the economy.

Ireland will deliver what ministers have called two budgets in one on Tuesday, making the usual spending increases and tax cuts while also helping firms and consumers pay soaring energy bills in what they hope will be a one-off intervention.