The Government must resolve the strikes and deliver on its promise of halving inflation and reducing debt.

The Department for Business is discussing what is truly 'fair' and 'affordable' with the trade unions - while maintaining a reasonable balance between the right to strike, and the right to access local and national public services safely.

Disruption is inherent to any strike, so we need to be confident that there will be no undue risk during industrial action to people's welfare, their safety, and our national security.

Employers currently rely on unions to agree to voluntary safe levels of cover, but in recent strikes - while nurses acted responsibly - sadly, the unions representing ambulance workers did not agree to a national safe minimum level of cover.

That was irresponsible and severely limited ambulance trusts' ability to keep the public safe.

New legislation will allow the Government to set minimum safety levels across six key sectors, focusing on preserving life and avoiding sustained economic harm. It will consult first on minimum safety levels for ambulances, fire and rescue, and rail.

France, Italy, and Spain already follow this fair approach. Furthermore, the International Labour Organisation - of which the TUC is a member - supports it too.

They say minimum safety levels are a proportionate way of balancing the right to strike with the need to protect the wider public.

The public strongly supports the Government's approach to minimum safety levels, with YouGov polling from January 5 revealing that 59 per cent support minimum safety levels.

The Government must continue working to halve inflation. It has no choice but to respect the recommendations of the independent Pay Review Bodies - which it has accepted in full - while helping Eddisbury residents with their cost of living.

Indeed, the Government has offered two million workers the highest uplift in nearly 20 years.

Even the Labour Party agrees that inflation-busting pay rises are 'unaffordable'. They will make inflation last longer, and exacerbate cost-of-living pressures.

Inflation-matching pay rises that keep inflation higher for longer are just not feasible, and will clearly not halve inflation successfully this year.

Furthermore, an 11 per cent pay rise for all public sector workers would cost £28 billion - costing every Cheshire household just under £1,000.

I know my constituents are facing worrying cost-of-living pressures, which is why the Government has already provided families with £26 billion of support: the Energy Price Guarantee will save the typical household £900 over the winter months, while the Energy Bill Support Scheme saves every household £400 on their energy bills.

I will be doing everything I can to ensure this support continues as long as it is effective and required.

To get in touch with Edward Timpson about this or other national or local issues, please visit edwardtimpson.com/contact, where you can also sign up for Edward’s Eddisbury Report e-newsletter.