Press Release

Police Pay

18 June 2008

Alistair Darling is Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is in charge of the nation’s finances. While nothing with this Government is certain, he presumably has a reasonable grasp of what is happening in the economy.

This morning he appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme and commented on pay settlements.

He told the nation confidently: “Settlements overall over the last 12 months are around 3.5 per cent which is consistent with our inflation target.”

So why did the Home Secretary sit po-faced in front of members of the Home Affairs Select Committee and, later, in front of officers at the Police Federation conference, and calmly tell them what the Chancellor has assured us is quite false – that the 2.5 pay award for police recommended by an independent tribunal would breach Government inflation targets.

Ms Smith: you can now pay police officers the rise to which they are entitled. There is no reason not to. You, and we, have the Chancellor’s word on this.

We await, and expect, immediate action.