THE TUC will lay bare the brutal record of the Tory government in a series of communications over the next year and call on all political parties to commit to needs-based funding for all public services.

This evening, the annual TUC Congress unanimously passed a motion committing the union confederation to campaign for above-inflation pay rises for public service workers and a return of community policing with a “proper workforce plan for policing that cuts crime, not PCSOs [police community support officers].”

In speeches backing the motion, union leaders blamed Tory austerity for crumbling schools, prisoner escapes and falling living standards, and called on Labour to put forward “policies of hope” and introduce wealth taxes.