Our public sector workers deserve better than a pay freeze

With the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the Chancellor needed to ensure today that no one is left behind. That was the litmus test, and he has failed

In a year when our NHS and care staff, teachers, police officers and many others have gone beyond the call of duty, a pay freeze reveals just how callous the Chancellor truly is.

Many public sector staff have worked on the front-line throughout the pandemic, putting their lives on the line, and a pay-freeze is not how they should be rewarded.

The Conservatives have consistently underfunded the public sector, and now the Chancellor is allowing those who have worked so hard to slow the spread of this virus and keep the country going to be the first in line to foot the bill.

The Chancellor has delivered a real terms pay cut for teachers, carers, police officers and so many other public-sector workers today.

They have been on the front-line throughout this pandemic, and so to treat them in this way is outrageously rude, ungrateful and unacceptable.

- Tim Farron (@timfarron) November 25, 2020

Freezing public sector pay will have a negligible effect on the national debt. We need to balance the books by growing our economy through investment in green technologies.

They deserve better than this.

Public sector workers deserve a Government that recognises and rewards their sacrifices and service during this terribly difficult time.