Labour is turning up heat on Tories; Cabinet members have broken ranks to express their support for easing spending cuts

Indian nurses and other public sector workers in the U.K. be in line for a pay rise, after four years of a 1% pay cap for public sector workers? Hopes that the government could give way on an issue, which has been a crucial part of its austerity drive, have risen in recent days as senior Cabinet members have broken ranks to express their support for such a move.

If allowed, it would mark a major reversal of the government’s approach, and a sign of the impact that the emboldened Labour Party of Jeremy Corbyn is having after significantly increasing its parliamentary presence in the election, as well as the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, which also opposes a number of austerity measures.

Britain's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove leaves after a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London. | Photo Credit: AFP

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was the latest figure reported to support the easing of the controversial cap on wages, a person close to the Minister told the Guardian on Monday. A day earlier, Environment Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC the government should listen to the pay review bodies, while last week, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon also raised the possibility of a wage rise for the army and beyond.

Other senior government figures have urged a review of the government’s approach on key spending issues, with Damien Green, the First Secretary of State, arguing in a speech in London over the weekend that the government might have to consider its policy to tuition fees for university students (the Labour party has pledged to scrap the controversial fees, which were brought in by the government of Tony Blair in 1998 and have remained a divisive issue since). Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, has been pushing for an extra £1 billion in funding for schools. Pressure on the schooling system is another major area of public concern, highlighted by the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties during the election campaign.

Last week, Conservative MPs, including Mr. Johnson, alongside their DUP allies, voted down a Labour party proposal to amend the Queen’s Speech to include a commitment to ending the public sector pay cap. The motion was narrowly defeated by 323 to 309.

Exodus of staff

The Labour Party accused the government of hypocrisy. “The faux concern from Tory MPs on the public sector pay cap is hypocrisy personified,” tweeted their spokesperson on education, Angela Rayner, on Monday.

Pay and working conditions across the public sector have become an increasing focal point of concern, particularly around the NHS, which is facing an exodus of staff following the Brexit vote. Figures published by the National Midwifery Council showed a sharp rise in the numbers of midwives and nurses leaving the profession, including from the U.K., while numbers joining has slowed down. “A badge of shame for Theresa May…Result of Tory public sector pay cap and neglect of our NHS,” tweeted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The Conservatives commitment to austerity has faced increased pressure following the deal struck with the DUP to spend an additional £1 billion in Northern Ireland over the next two years.