Sunak defends budget plans and insists 1% rise for NHS staff is fair

Sunak defends budget plans and insists 1% rise for NHS staff is fair Rishi Sunak has rejected criticism that his budget plans to repair the government’s finances after Covid-19 were unrealistic, and insisted a 1% pay rise for NHS staff is fair.

The chancellor said the pay offer, alongside plans for a wider public sector pay freeze, was “proportionate, fair and reasonable” given the damage to the government’s finances caused by the pandemic and as many workers in the private sector have lost their jobs. The Guardian

See also: 

• NHS nurses could get a 3 PER CENT pay rise under No10 peace plans The Daily Mail
• Boris Johnson resists calls to correct claim in NHS pay row The Guardian
• Ministers 'considering one-off bonus' for frontline NHS staff after outrage at nurses' 1% pay rise iNews