Jeremy Corbyn accuses Theresa May of 'recklessly exploiting the goodwill' of public sector workers over pay cap

Jeremy Corbyn questions Theresa May during Prime Minister's Question Time
PA
Tom Powell5 July 2017
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Jeremy Corbyn accused the Government of "recklessly exploiting the goodwill" of public sector workers as he called on Theresa May to abolish their pay cap.

The Labour leader insisted NHS workers, teachers and other public sector workers "need a pay rise" given rising inflation, during a heated debate in Prime Minister's Questions.

But the Prime Minister responded by claiming her party inherited the "biggest deficit" in the UK's peacetime history from Labour.

Mrs May also pointed to the struggles of Greece and said Labour's suggested approach means "everyone pays the price".

Theresa May blamed the former Labour government for a lack of finances
PA

Mr Corbyn said there had been a "week of flipflopping and floundering" by the Government over the public sector pay cap, arguing the 1 per cent limit causes "real shortages" and "real hardship".

He quoted a teacher called David who warned his workload has increased and more people are leaving the profession than starting.

MPs heard the teacher added: "The only thing holding the education system together is the dedication to struggle on for their students and staff."

Mr Corbyn went on: "He says 'this dedication is starting to run out'.

"So what we're doing by this pay cut, if I say to the Prime Minister, is recklessly exploiting the goodwill of public servants like David. They need a pay rise."

Mrs May claimed there are more nurses and teachers compared with 2010, adding of the need to limit pay for public sector workers: "We inherited the biggest deficit in our peacetime history."

Speaker John Bercow intervened to calm MPs, before the PM defended the Government's economic record.

She also said: "Our policy on public sector pay has always recognised that we need to balance the need to be fair to public sector workers, to protect jobs in the public sector and to be fair to those who pay for it.

"That is the balance we need to strike and we continue to assess that balance."

Mr Corbyn questioned how Mrs May could find £1 billion for Northern Ireland "to keep her own job" via a deal for her minority Government to receive DUP support, adding: "Why can't you find the same amount of money to keep nurses and teachers in their job - who, after all, serve all of us?"

Mrs May, in her reply, said: "I understand it has been hard for people who have been making sacrifices over the years as we've been dealing with Labour's mismanagement of the economy."

Pointing to the experiences of other countries, Mrs May said: "In Greece... what did we see with failure to deal with the deficit?

"Spending on the health service cut by 36 per cent. That doesn't help nurses or patients."

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