Paul Nowak, who took over as general secretary of the Trades Union Congress last week, said in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that public services are facing years of underfunding and understaffing.

We cannot solve these problems without a fair deal for people on the front line, Nowak said, demanding a change in executive leadership.

That means talking openly and constructively about improving public sector pay, but so far ministers are refusing to negotiate directly on the issue with unions, the union leader was quoted as saying by Sky News.

According to the British Retail Consortium, an association of retailers, food prices in the UK rose at a record pace last December, with inflation reaching 13,3%, up from 12,4% in November.

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