Biggest rail strike in 30 years brings UK to standstill

STORY: Picket lines appeared at dawn and will be lined by some of the more than 40,000 rail workers who are due to strike on Tuesday, Thursday (June 23) and Saturday (June 25), bringing the network to a standstill. The London Underground was also shut due to the strike.

In Tonbridge, in southeast England, the sun came up on a shuttered train station as members from the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) picketed outside.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under pressure to do more to help British households who face the toughest economic hit in decades, said the industrial action would harm businesses as they continue to recover from the pandemic.

Unions have said the rail strikes could mark the start of a "summer of discontent" with teachers, medics, waste disposal workers and even barristers moving towards industrial action as surging food and fuel prices pushes inflation towards 10%.