The poll, carried out by Opinium on behalf of the Compassion in Politics think tank and reported in the Mirror, found that 41% of those surveyed believe the Tories are responsible, 35% say unions

The government continues to fail in its attempts to pin the blame for strikes taking place across the public sector on unions and workers, with more people blaming the Tories.

The poll, carried out by Opinium on behalf of the Compassion in Politics think tank and reported in the Mirror, found that 41% of those surveyed believe the Tories are responsible, 35% say unions and 11% blame employers for the current wave of strike action.

It comes as nurses, rail workers, paramedics and posties continue to stage walkouts this month.

Rishi Sunak and senior Tories have repeatedly tried to portray their demands as unreasonable, but the public thankfully aren’t buying any of it.

Compassion in Politics co-director Jeenifer Nadel told the Mirror: “While some in government might have hoped to pin the blame for the strikes on the workers and unions, our polling suggests the public think otherwise – and that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“People understand – often through their own personal experience and pain – that year-on-year cuts to wages, an escalating cost-of-living crisis, and unstable job conditions can make working life intolerable.”

It comes as a YouGov poll earlier this week showed that the majority of the public are in support of strike action carried out by nurses and ambulance workers.

Public support was highest for nurses, with 66% of those asked supporting strike action, compared to just 28% who opposed. 63% of those asked supported strike action being carried out by ambulance workers compared to 31% who opposed.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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