The following has been supplied by the TUC:
A series of headlines ridiculing workplace
safety rules, some taken up by ministers to justify the government's
deregulatory plans, were part of a strategy cooked up by Tory high command to
try and to spin the government out of trouble, a newspaper has claimed. The
Independent reported on 20 April that Conservative ministers 'have been ordered
by Downing Street to
come up with eye-catching right-wing initiatives to deflect media attention
from the government's Budget woes.' Among the stories highlighted by the paper
was the case of employment minister Chris Grayling, who on 10 April 'thundered'
his disapproval in the Daily Mail about 'an EU 'nanny state' health and safety
directive that would enforce regular breaks for hairdressers and ban them from
wearing high-heeled shoes at work'. The minister had intended to use a related
jibe in a speech last week to the Policy Exchange, but pulled the reference at
the last minute after the TUC
pointed out there were no plans for either a Euro hairdressing directive or a
ban on high heels. Another headline linked by The Independent to a Conservative
strategy to court true blue supporters with populist right wing policies, was
the Daily Mail's 11 April headline 'Panel set up to bust health and safety
myths'. A Whitehall
source quoted by The Independent said: 'Downing
Street has been desperate to move the news agenda on
from the Budget and has been scouring Whitehall
for things to announce. They want to show we're on the front foot and are
looking for issues that are consumer friendly. The trouble is finding them.'
