Cabinet office: 'More than 100,000 civil servants on strike'

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said: “The dedicated majority of public sector workers are working normally today and rigorous contingency plans are ensuring that nearly all key public services remain open as usual.

“We can now confirm that:

• Just 102,244 civil servants are on strike – down from 146,000 in November and dramatically lower than union claims;
• Our borders have been managed without delays and staff in northern France have prevented 25 people attempting to evade our border controls;

• This morning's industrial action by prison officers is now over, staff are returning to work and our contingency measures were effective."