The summer solstice marks the official start of the summer season and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
High inflation and the consequent loss of purchasing power were the main drivers, said the study by the Institute of economic and social sciences (WSI), which has tracked the number of industrial disputes since 2006. The study underscores how a cost-of-living crisis and an inflation spike after the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a wave of industrial action in Europe's largest economy and tested its prized model for worker relations. "2024 is also likely to be a year of intensive industrial disputes," the WSI said, adding that the figure could depend on the outcome of union talks in the metal and electrical industries in the autumn.
Tony Lee stepped away from his Conservative HQ job after it emerged his would-be MP wife was being investigated by the Gambling Commission.