What is behind the public outrage in the UK? | Business and economy

Hundreds of thousands of people participated in wage strikes.

They were the biggest strikes in the UK for more than a decade and unions are warning more could follow.

More than 500,000 workers, teachers, civil servants, bus and train drivers have walked off the job in England and Wales.

They demand an increase in wages in line with the rise in the cost of living. But the government says it can’t afford it, and the prime minister described the industrial action as a political battle.

So how will the government deal with the growing discontent?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Alex Deane – conservative commentator and former assistant to the British Conservative Party

James Meadway – former shadow economic adviser to the UK Chancellor and currently council member of the Progressive Economics Forum

Jonathan Portes – Professor of Economics and Public Policy at King’s College London