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She called the Republican bill a "blank cheque that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America".

"But it is not a blank cheque, it is not unconditional," he said.

Unite traditionally backs Labour, but has been very critical of Sir Keir's leadership and last year its general secretary, Sharon Graham, warned the party there were "no blank cheques".

The government said it was facing "tough decisions" but added: "The solution isn’t writing a blank cheque to bail out the past, or to put taxpayers on the hook for the industrial challenges we’ve inherited."

But she added: “University leaders cannot be handed blank cheques: they must use public money to invest in their own workforce.”