Tory MPs rebel on nurses’ pay

CONSERVATIVE MPs last night joined in the backlash against the Government’s 1 per cent pay offer for NHS staff.

They used a Commons debate to call for nurses, particularly those on low wages, to get more money, putting ministers under further pressure to make a U-turn.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock also came under fire for dodging Labour’s Urgent Question, sending care minister Helen Whately to take the flak instead.

The first Conservative MP to speak out against his party’s proposals was volunteer ambulance worker Andrew Percy, who said: ‘This last wave has been particularly brutal on nurses, healthcare assistants and especially this time ambulance crews.

Former health minister Steve Brine said: ‘The elephant in the room here is not pay across the board, but low pay in the NHS and even a 10 per cent pay rise on not very much is not very much.

‘We really need a grown-up conversation about what we pay those who do some of the least glamorous jobs across health and social care, day in day out, every single year.’

Education committee chairman Rob Halfon paid tribute to health workers who had risked their lives looking after Covid patients, and asked Miss Whately: ‘While absolutely recognising the economic constraints and the £2 trillion debt that our country owes, will she reconsider and at least propose a larger increase the lower paid NHS workers?’

Miss Whately said: ‘While so much of the public sector is having a pay freeze, NHS staff will get a pay rise.’