Rishi Sunak says he could snub recommended pay rise for police, troops and nurses

The Prime Minister has indicated he may overrule proposals from independent pay review bodies regarding the amount of pay rise that workers in the sector audience should receive

The prime minister said the government should not "fuel the fire" of inflation on public sector pay rises (

Image: Steve Taylor/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)

Recommended pay rise for nurses, police and troops could be snubbed to curb inflation, Rishi Sunak reported yesterday.

The Prime Minister has indicated he can overrule proposals from independent pay review bodies regarding the amount of pay rise public sector workers should receive. Unions would react with fury if the government ignored the recommendations - especially when ministers used last year's revisions to offer staff pay cuts in real terms, sparking a wave of public sector strikes.

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The government is due to publish its plans next week - and Mr Sunak has pledged to halve inflation this year to around 5% as one of its top five priorities. The prime minister said ministers 'shouldn't stoke the fire' of inflation, currently at 8.7%.

He added, "I don't want to do anything that can make this situation last longer and make it worse."

The Prime Minister speaks to reporters on his flight from London to Vilnius (

Picture:

POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Stressing that any salary increase must be "affordable for the taxpayer", he insisted that the government must "be responsible".

'Government borrowing costs are rising, not just for the UK but for governments around the world,' he told reporters on his way to a NATO summit in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. In this economic context, the government must act responsibly. »

He insisted he was ready to use the "leverage" of fiscal policy to bring inflation back towards its 2% target. The Bank of England is deploying monetary tactics to achieve the goal by raising interest rates.

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