Nurses across England will strike for two days running in January in an escalation of their pay dispute with the government.

Thousands of staff will walk out on 18 and 19 January, heaping further pressure on health secretary Steve Barclay to come to an agreement with the unions.

Meanwhile, the GMB union had called off a strike of ambulance workers on 28 December so the public can “enjoy Christmas without the additional anxiety”.

They have instead announced a new strike on 11 January, the same day that ambulance workers who are members of the Unison union will also stage a walkout.

As the latest rail strike continues into its third day, Britain’s railways are at a standstill – with a warning to passengers to avoid all but essential travel until 9 January.

But many people are on the move within the UK, with flights, ferries and long-distance coaches already busy.

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:

Shoppers appear to have defied Boxing Day expectations with early indications suggesting footfall at UK retail destinations is up by as much as half on this time last year.

Concerns had been raised that the cost-of-living crisis coupled with rail strikes could affect the traditionally popular shopping day.

But central London, which has been hit hard by industrial action from transport unions, saw footfall more than double on Boxing Day morning.

Industry analyst Springboard said data up until midday on Monday showed footfall was higher across all three key destination types compared with the same period in 2021.

On high streets it was up by 59.4%, in shopping centres by 46.6%, and in retail parks by 33.7%, Springboard said.

With footfall in central London up 139.2%, the data firm suggested negative impacts from industrial action on the railways had not materialised as expected.

However, Boxing Day footfall this year has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, remaining 30.5% lower than on December 26 in 2019.

While footfall was up “significantly” across all UK nations, Northern Ireland saw the greatest increase, at more than five times the level seen in 2021.

Last December, Covid rules are thought to have impacted shoppers, with restrictions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including wearing masks in all shops and limiting indoor group sizes to six.

In both the east of England and the Greater London regions, the rise in footfall from last year was at least a third more than seen in other parts of the UK, Springboard said.

Scotland saw the smallest rise - up 27.4% - with Springboard noting the weather has been “far less favourable”.

Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said a likely factor in the increase was Boxing Day 2021 fell on a Sunday rather than a weekday, but added that the latest figures “provide real reason for optimism amongst retailers”.

She said: “Whilst the bounce back from the pandemic is a key reason for the increased footfall, a further boost to footfall is likely to have been provided by the fact that Boxing Day in 2021 was on a Sunday.

“This meant a number of stores were closed and some would have had reduced trading hours.

“As the day progresses, we are likely to see a smaller increase in footfall from 2021, however, given the scale of the uplift already recorded, the increase in activity from last year will remain significant.

“Footfall has undoubtedly been helped by the calm and sunny weather, which will have encouraged consumers to make trips out.

“These results provide real reason for optimism amongst retailers, as these results come in the face of another rail strike and the underlying challenge of the cost-of-living crisis.”

Workers at a rail operator will stage a 24-hour strike from Boxing Day evening, continuing the wave of industrial unrest sweeping across the country.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at CrossCountry will walk out from 9pm as part of a long-running campaign for a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which addresses the rising cost of living.

The union believes that walkouts by staff will severely impact services at CrossCountry, which covers large swathes of the country, from Penzance to the Midlands, Wales and northern England through to Scottish cities as far north as Aberdeen.

TSSA members work in roles including customer service managers, driver managers, trainers, control, customer communications, safety, timetabling and planning.

Managers are based at stations including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Bournemouth and Plymouth.

TSSA members at Great Western Railway will strike from noon on Wednesday to 11.59am on Thursday, and at West Midlands Trains from noon on Wednesday to noon on Thursday.

TSSA organising director Nadine Rae said: “Our members at CrossCountry do not want to strike, especially over the Christmas holiday period, but they are sick and tired of being taken for granted.

“They deserve a pay rise to help manage the escalating cost of living, and they rightly demand job security.

“The company, like all the train operators under the control of the Department for Transport, need to face up to the fact that only serious offers which meet our aspirations will end this dispute.

“Rail workers are seeking basic fair treatment: not to be sacked from their jobs; a fair pay rise in the face of a cost-of-living crisis; and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions.

“Make no mistake we will again see trains coming to a halt unless rail bosses and the Government do the right thing for our members and our precious rail network which so many people rely on.”

- Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are continuing with a strike in a separate dispute over jobs, pay and conditions

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union who normally check passports will strike from 23 December until the end of the year, with the exception of 27 December. UK Border Force staff will also strike at the port of Newhaven in East Sussex on the same dates.

Almost two million passengers are booked to fly into the affected airports during the stoppages. Could their festive flights be disrupted – and what are the airports and airlines saying?

These are the key questions and answers, Simon Calder writes:

The PCS union has said the public should blame the government for the incovenience caused by its going on strike.

In a tweet, the union said: “We recognise that the public will be inconvenienced by PCS civil service members going on strike.

“But if you are feeling angry, blame the government which has undervalued its own workers for many years and could choose to end these strikes.”

Shoppers lined up outside stores to make the most of Boxing Day sales today.

In case you missed it...

Passengers arriving at some of the UK’s major airports over the festive season could face long queues as UK Border Force staff go on strike – with a threat of Christmas flight cancellations.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced industrial action from 23 December until the end of the year, with the exception of 27 December.

“Without doctors and nurses I would be dead. Several times over, in fact,” James Moore writes.

As the latest rail strike continues into its third day, Britain’s railways are at a standstill – with a warning to passengers to avoid all but essential travel until 9 January.

But many people are on the move within the UK, with flights, ferries and long-distance coaches already busy.

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports: