Commuters must be prepared to “stay the course” in the face of the “unnecessary aggravation” caused by rail strikes, Boris Johnson has warned.
He made the remarks came at the start of a Cabinet meeting on the first day of walk-outs across the network that are the biggest for three decades, leaving millions facing inconvenience.
The RMT union is in dispute with rail bosses over pay, jobs and conditions as they attempt a shake-up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic – which has transformed passenger behaviour.
Major disruption across Britain as rail strike begins – live updates
Mr Johnson told Cabinet colleagues that reform of the network was needed as “colossal” investment in projects such as HS2 take shape – and his remarks seemed to imply that commuters should brace themselves for more inconvenience as unions resist.
The PM said: “We need the union barons to sit down with Network Rail and the train companies and get on with it.
“We need, I’m afraid, everybody,…
