Desperate Keir Starmer has given trade union chiefs an ultimatum to end the all-out bin strike in Birmingham. The Prime Minister said Unite must “drop” its opposition to changes needed to resolve the long-stranding pay dispute.

Sir Keir said the trade union must get round the table with the council to bring the strike to an end. The PM is facing embarrassment because Labour-run Birmingham City Council, which has declared a major incident, said more than 17,000 tonnes of waste remains uncollected across the city thanks to an all-out strike that began last month following intermittent walk-outs, and nearly 900 tonnes is added to the pile every day.

Downing Street said Unite should focus on “negotiating in good faith, drop their opposition to changes needed to resolve long-standing pay issues and get round the table” to bring the Birmingham bin strike to an end.

A Number 10 spokesman said: “The residents of Birmingham are our first and foremost priority, and as you will have seen, the local government minister Jim McMahon was in Birmingham yesterday meeting council leaders and commissioners to discuss the council’s response and make sure this is being gripped.

“Following that meeting, police have installed barriers at the picket line to prevent waste lorries being recklessly blocked from leaving the depots this morning to start dealing with the backlog.

“Unite need to focus on negotiating in good faith, drop their opposition to changes needed to resolve long-standing equal pay issues, and get round the table with the council to bring this strike to an end.”