‘Can’t afford pay rises in line with inflation’

Public sector pay rises in line with soaring inflation are “unaffordable”, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said.

Mr Harper told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Inflation matching or inflation busting pay rises are unaffordable.

“I think we want to try and give all the workers in the public sector who work very hard decent pay rises, but they can’t be inflation-busting pay rises.

“There simply isn’t the money to pay for those.

“We haven’t seen those in the private sector either, the private sector pay rises have generally been settled below the level of inflation, which I accept is difficult for people.

“I do not have a bottomless pit of taxpayers’ money.”