A Tory Minister has been ridiculed for having no clue about how public pay review bodies work.
Helen Whatley, for it is she, was found out again on TV.
She has a habit of car crash interviews, and this was no different.
Tory Minister public sector pay
Sky’s Kay Burley said to Whatley: “You always say that we have to abide by what the independent pay review body suggest?”
She replied: “I don’t believe that is what we’ve always said.”
In response, presenter Burley asked: “The chairman is chosen by the PM & you give the budgets… what’s the point?”
Ms Whately said: “I’m not going to pre-empt the next stage in the process: “Obviously government has to look overall at what is affordable. And the prime minister has been very clear… about the need to be responsible with the public finances as the number one priority, of course, must be bring down inflation.
“So government has to look at things in the round.”
Whately continued: “We take the advice of recommendations from the pay bodies. But you’ve got to understand that government has to be responsible for the public finances.
“That’s why I can’t say here and now what the outcome of the whole process is going to be. We know we have a number one priority of bringing down inflation.
“And actually the job in government and job of the prime minister is to make tough decisions.”
PRBs
The PRBs take evidence from across sectors like the NHS and education each year, as well as submissions from government, before saying what wage rises should be introduced for the following 12 months, reports Sky News.
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