BOILING POINT

Rail strike dispute deepens as London hits 30C

- Nicholas Cecil and John Dunne

COMMUTER belt MPs and passengers turned up the heat on unions today over "cruel" and "selfish" rail and Tube strikes planned for next week during the cost-ofliving crisis, school exam season and as Britain tries to recover from the Covid pandemic.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union was accused of "seriously misreading the public mood" with its plan to hit London with a "double whammy" of walkouts, on the rail network and Underground on Tuesday, followed by two more days of rail strikes which will inflict around a week of travel chaos.

As temperatures were soaring above 30C today, MPs vented the anger of many of their constituents at the industrial action, which will cripple large parts of the country's rail system. Rob Butler, Conservative MP for Aylesbury, said: "This strike is unnecessary and it is cruel." Transport for London is "strongly encouraging" people not to travel on the Tube on Tuesday because of the 24-hour walkout by the RMT and Unite unions, which will see services axed or severely disrupted.

Head teachers have also warned of the impact of the strikes on exams. On Tuesday they include A-level maths, religious studies and German, and GCSE history, and on Thursday A-level chemistry and GCSE physics.

The industrial action will also hit many businesses as more workers stay at home. "These strikes are totally selfish," said Gareth Johnson, Conservative MP for Dartford.