Teachers in England and Wales vote to strike in February and March – UK politics live

Good morning. It it quite a busy day at Westminster, and there is a lot of news definitely coming: the results of ballots that will decide if teaching strikes go ahead, a meeting that could pave the way for the intensification of Northern Ireland protocol talks with the EU, and the debate on the government’s anti-strikes bill.

But there is also a lot of interest this morning in news that might come today, or maybe later this week. George Parker in the Financial Times, firming up a story reported by the Times last week, says Rishi Sunak “is set to use a constitutional ‘nuclear option’ for the first time by blocking legislation passed by the Scottish parliament that seeks to make it easier for people north of the border to legally change their gender”. Parker says:

One senior government figure said: “There isn’t much disagreement that legally we have to act.” A decision could be taken as soon as Monday and Alister Jack, the Scotland secretary, is said to be fully supportive of the intervention.

My colleague Peter Walker says the final decision has not yet been taken, but that the FT is right about the direction in which the government is heading.

So that may, or may not be, a story for today.

In Scotland, most Conservative MSPs opposed the Scottish government’s gender recognition reform (Scotland) bill. But Jamie Greene, the party’s justice spokesperson, was one of three Tory MSPs who voted for the bill in the final vote (it was a free vote) and he has written to Sunak urging him not to block the bill. As Mike Wade reports in the Times, Greene said:

I fear the UK government’s rumoured moves to block the Scottish gender recognition reform bill will set us back years. This move could be a gift to proponents of independence who may accuse us of tearing up the devolution settlement.

It could be a gift to Labour, as we show to LGBT+ people, their friends and their families, that we are happy to leave the centre ground for others as we fail to live up to our promise to govern with compassion …

We must not treat trans people as a political football. Make no mistake. This could also fuel accusations of riding roughshod over devolution. It may also give the SNP-led Scottish government the welcome gift of a fight.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9am: Keir Starmer holds his ‘Call Keir’ phone-in on LBC.

Morning: GMB officials representing ambulance staff meet to discuss further strike action.

Morning: James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, holds a virtual meeting with Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission vice-president and EU Brexit negotiator, about the Northern Ireland protocol.

11am: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, holds a press conference about the situation in the NHS in Scotland.

11.30am: Downing Street holds its lobby briefing.

Afternoon: The NEU and NAHT teaching unions are due to announce the results of their strike ballots.

After 3.30pm: MPs begin debating the second reading of the strikes (minimum service levels) bill.

3pm: Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee.

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