Army are being trained ahead of winter strikes, minister says

The government minister Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed that troops are being trained to drive ambulances and fight fires – as the country braces for widespread public sector strikes in the run up to Christmas.

Mr Zahawi also hit out at unions, and stoked controversy by suggesting that workers going on strike to try and improve their pay during a cost of living crisis were playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin – an assessment described as ‘ludicrous and insulting’ by his political opponents.