Labour seeking vote on NHS pay rise

Keir Starmer has called on the Prime Minister to give MPs a vote on NHS pay amid mounting anger at the government’s proposed NHS pay cut.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, the Labour leader pointed to figures from his party which revealed that going into the pandemic, NHS staff had seen their real terms pay slashed under the Conservatives.

Accounting for inflation, Labour’s research shows that since the Conservatives took power in 2010, some NHS workers have seen their pay slashed by thousands of pounds per year. For example, since 2010, the starting salary for nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers and numerous other NHS roles has seen a real terms cut of £841 per year.

Starmer’s call for a vote from MPs also followed Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, concedeing to the Commons Health Committee that the NHS had budgeted for a 2.1 per cent pay increase this year.

Starmer said: “They can afford to give Dominic Cummings a 40 percent pay rise, but they can’t afford to reward the NHS. The mask really is slipping, and we can see what the Conservative Party now stands for. Cutting pay for nurses. Putting taxes up for families.

“He’s had the opportunity to change course, but he’s refused. So if he’s so determined to cut NHS pay, will he at least show some courage and put it to a vote in Parliament?”