transport-secretary
"I am not going to take any lessons in solidarity from a Tory Cabinet minister who doesn’t understand what he is talking about," Mick Whelan fumed.
However, the union's dispute with the train operating companies "remains firmly on".
Brendan Clarke-Smith told emergency workers on £32,000 a year using food banks to “learn how to budget”.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said one in 45 people in the UK currently has Covid-19.
Strikes are set to go ahead next week although talks will be held with the Rail Delivery Group today.
The transport secretary's announcement went down like a lead balloon.
As thousands of transport workers are to be furloughed amid TLF's “massive financial challenges”, transport secretary Grant Shapps leads the daily press briefing. He is expected to be joined by deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries.