Lib Dems look to end pay cap for emergency services

The public sector pay cap should be cut in recognition of the work of the emergency services following recent events, says Tim Farron.

The pay cap, which came about in 2012, limits pay rises for public sector workers to one per cent a year until 2020.

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader who recently announced his decision to step down from his party's leadership, said firefighters, police and medical staff ‘deserve so much better’.

Ministers have said that wage restraint in the public sector helps to protect jobs and repairs the public finances.

Following the terror attacks in London and Manchester and the Grenfell Tower fire, Farron said the pay cap should be replaced by pay rises in line with inflation.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also said he had a ‘great deal of sympathy’ for the case made by nurses to end the pay cap because of the ‘enormous amount of goodwill and time given free of charge’ by staff.

Both Labour and Liberal Democrats pledged to cut the one per cent pay cap in their 2017 manifestos.

Farron said: “Terror attacks in London and Manchester and the Grenfell Tower tragedy have reminded us how our emergency services deal with the most terrible of events with professionalism and courage. They deserve a pay rise, not a pay cut. This is about choices. During the election campaign, Theresa May reacted with indifference when asked why nurses were having to resort to using food banks.

"But in recent months we have seen time and again that our emergency services run towards danger when others run away. They deserve so much better. The Liberal Democrats call on the government to stand up for our firefighters, police, doctors and nurses and give them the pay rise they deserve.”