MP slams 'clapping’ chancellor’s pay freeze for key workers

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams

An Oldham MP has hit out at yesterday's announcement of a pay freeze for many public sector workers.
 
Responding to the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said: “Earlier this year the Chancellor stood clapping on his doorstep for the NHS and key workers. Today, he has announced a pay freeze for many of those who willingly took on so much responsibility during this pandemic."

Ms Abrahams contrasted the payrise with a recent National Audit Office report suggesting that politically connected firms were given 'high priority' for government COVID contracts.

The spending watchdog found more than £10 billion of contracts were awarded without competition and with a special channel set up that allowed almost 500 suppliers with links to politicians or senior officials to pitch directly for work.

The MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth went on to highlight what she called "mismanaged" public finances on an "industrial scale".

“£130m to a Conservative donor for testing kits that were unsafe; £150 million for face masks; and £700m on coveralls that couldn’t be used.
 
“A £12 billion hit to our economy because the more effective, shorter circuit breaker was blocked, and a lengthier, more expensive lockdown put in place instead. And another £12 billion, so far, spent on the Serco Test and Trace programme that is still not working.
 
“Today, there’s news of a further £10 billion in additional costs for PPE, at least partly down to the Conservatives’ lack of pre-pandemic planning."

Ms Abrahams said that people in the North had suffered more during the Covid pandemic, and have been more likely to have been made redundant during the crisis.  She also highlighted Labour's economic proposals for the coming year.
 
“To recover jobs, Labour called for £30 billion of capital spending accelerated into the next 18 months, focused on green initiatives, supporting 400,000 jobs and bringing us in line with countries like France and Germany. This government’s ambition is for half that number of new jobs.
 
“To retrain workers, we needed an emergency programme to support people back into work. But Kickstart has been slow to get started and the skills offer for those over 25 won’t start until April.
 
“This government is always one step behind. We must learn the lessons from previous failures, and ensure that the next challenge, the roll-out of the vaccine, is dealt with as efficiently, effectively and as speedily as possible.”

In his spending review statement yesterday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak laid out the Government spending plans over the next year.

In the statement in parliament, the Chancellor said an estimated 1.3 million public sector workers will see their pay frozen in 2021-2, with the UK economy is expected to shrink by 11.3% this year.

Unemployment is expected to reach 7.5% next spring, with 2.6 million people out of work.

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