Labour is refusing to promise to repeal all of the Conservatives’ proposed anti-strike laws, despite calling them “unworkable” and “grandstanding”.

Neither Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, nor Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, would commit on Thursday to reversing the proposals, which include strict curbs on when public sector workers can strike, if Labour wins the next election.

Rishi Sunak this week promised “tough new laws” to limit strikes, as Border Force guards became the latest group to announce they plan to walk out in the coming weeks. The government is already working on legislation to force transport workers to provide set minimum levels of service, while Sunak has refused to rule out completely banning emergency service workers from striking.

Starmer called the proposal to ban emergency strikers “wrong” but would not commit to scrapping it if it became law. Reeves said that committing to repeal was “jumping the gun a little bit”.

“The Conservatives U-turn every day of the week and I would expect to have several more before we get to the next election,” she said.

They have previously promised to repeal the minimum service legislation.

Starmer and Reeves were speaking to an audience of business leaders at Canary Wharf as part of the party’s “prawn cocktail offensive 2.0”, which is seeking to repeat Tony Blair’s success in persuading business leaders to back Labour.

The event on Thursday included speeches by Amanda Blanc, the chief executive of Aviva, and Ian...

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