Public sector pay rises annouced

Public sector workers across England, including teachers and doctors, will see a pay rise for 2025-26, as announced yesterday (22nd May 2025).

All doctors, dentists, and consultants will receive a four per cent pay rise, with resident (formerly junior) doctors receiving a £750 top up to bring their average rise to 5.4 per cent. Other NHS England staff on Agenda for Change contracts, including nurses, porters, midwives and cleaners, will receive a 3.6 per cent pay increase, which was met with criticism, particularly that nurses would receive a smaller increase than doctors.

Members of the UK armed forces are to receive a 4.5 per cent pay rise, with 3.75 per cent for senior military staff. Civil servants, including senior ones, have secured a 3.25 per cent rise.

Teachers were awarded a four per cent pay rise, although the government announced that a quarter of this would need to come out of schools’ budgets via "improved efficiency".

Inflation was at 3.5 per cent in April, which complicated public sector pay rises even more, as some pay rises only just keep above the line.