British army 'used to bail out failing services' as NHS and Civil Service strike, Labour warns

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world

Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

In the midst of growing tensions between the UK and Russia, British forces are being withdrawn from Estonia to “bail out failing services” as the NHS and Civil Service announce strikes.

Nurses and announced they would go on strike on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December while civil service departments like the UK Border Force also announced strikes for the month.

UK troops may have to step in and fill in for staff shortages caused by the strikes, halting their defensive duties in Estonia, following rising fears from Russia.

The Guardian said that the shadow defence secretary John Healey wrote to defence secretary Ben Wallace warning that troops “may be diverted from essential defence tasks” to accommodate for staffing gaps caused by strikes in Border Force, the NHS and elsewhere.

Reports have suggested that army officers can drive ambulances and are qualified to stand in for frontline hospital staff if there is an emergency and the government has to deal with a winter of strikes in the NHS.

It was also revealed that 600 uniformed soldiers were being trained to cover for immigration staff this winter after the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union voted to take industrial action.

In the letter, MP Healey argued: “According to a string of media reports this week, Macas (Military aid to the civil authorities) are now being considered to provide cover for winter pressures in the NHS, for a Covid resurgence and for public sector strike action.”

The Labour MP lashed out at the decision-making to deploy troops. He said: “Our armed forces are being used to bail out failing services, rather than provide emergency back-up”.

Around 100,000 NHS staff will be striking this month following pay disputes, marking the biggest walkout in their history.

Civil servants part of the Home Office, Border Force, department for transport and Defra will be walking out and some for an entire month.