PM made ‘wrong decision’ over police pay, says Home Secretary
HOME SECRETARY Sajid Javid said Theresa May made the “wrong decision” when she blocked a three per cent pay rise for the police.
The Cabinet minister set his face against the “small” increase the Prime Minister favoured.
Officials outlined Mr Javid’s views in a letter, seen by The Daily Telegraph, in July to Downing Street.
It followed Mrs May’s decision to reject a recommendation by the independent Police Remuneration Review Body on officers’ pay.
Mr Javid, who replaced Amber Rudd as Home Secretary in April, wanted officers to be given a oneoff bonus of one per cent that would effectively give them three per cent rise but was overruled and a two per cent settlement was announced instead.
The Home Office letter states: “As you will be aware, the Police Remuneration Review Body recommended the consolidation of the one per cent non-consolidated award for police officers from 2017/18 and, following that consolidation, a two per cent consolidated increase for officers at all ranks from 1 September 2018. The Home Secretary was strongly in favour of this.
“However, the Prime Minister and Chancellor have decided that officers should only be given a two per cent consolidated pay award, meaning only a small one per cent pay rise in reality.
“He continues to be of the view that this is the wrong decision.”
When the pay award was announced, a Home Office press release said that despite the recommendation of the review body, police employers advised that the maximum affordable award would be a two per cent increase.
Mr Javid, who has been widely tipped as a future Tory leader, was quoted as saying: “This award represents the highest consolidated pay award since 2010. I’ll continue to fight on behalf of police to ensure they have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.”