Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth accused the Tories yesterday of ramping up their “vicious” anti-union agenda with attacks on Whitehall’s trade union officials.

Mr Ashworth spoke to the Star after Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude crowed in the Commons that he would take yet more measures to curb paid facility time for union representatives.

Mr Maude said the government had put in place “arrangements to try to find out exactly what is going on” in government departments with regard to trade union activities and facility time.