There have been some fairly blatant distraction strategies in thirteen years of troubled Conservative government, but this week’s Anti Strikes Bill is perhaps one of the most divisive and daft bits of time-wasting legislation yet. Tameside was well represented in the fightback against this silly side-show, with Angela opening the House of Commons debate, and me closing it.

There is certainly a pattern with this Government. When people began to protest in large numbers against their policies they made it harder to protest; when the polls turned against them they made it harder to vote; and now when paramedics, nurses, and transport workers decide, in desperation, to go on strike, rather than listen to them, the Government are simply making it harder to strike. The Conservative Party built this low pay, low resilience Britain. Instead of listening to the voices of the people most affected by that, they just legislate for them to go away.

This Bill, isn’t so much a proposal; it’s an alibi. It’s an attempt to deflect blame for the country’s problems, and particularly the state of public services, away from the Government, and onto the workforce. They say the legislation is to secure a minimum level of service. The fact is we haven’t had that from this Government for thirteen long years. We already have many safeguards in this country to prevent flippant striking, and even then, many recent strikes could have been avoided through negotiation.

These proposals are unnecessary, unethical and unworkable.

Unnecessary; because working people care about the people who rely on their services or the patients they nurse back to health more than their employers seem to, and would never sit back and let disasters unfold.

Unethical, because the scope of these laws are huge, affecting six million workers. Whether you agree or disagree with the merits of any one particular strike action, the right to strike is a fundamental one.

And unworkable; because they will simply start a torrent of legal claims and prolong disputes. Last week, the Business Secretary said he hoped he would never have to use these powers. In other words – this is all for show.

It’s just a copout for a Government that is not taking any action to address the underlying causes of economic stagnation and crumbling public services. Most of all, it completely fails to recognise what every good business knows, which is the biggest asset any organisation has, is its people. When I clapped Tameside’s key workers, I meant it. I wish the same were true for Sunak and friends.