Polly Toynbee is correct to criticise government ministers for falsely claiming their hands are tied on public sector salaries by supposedly independent pay review bodies (Who do you believe: the brilliant NHS staff who treated my cancer, or ministers who spin and lie? 14 December).
In December 2021, the Treasury’s economic evidence to the review bodies stated that inflation was expected to peak around 4% in 2022, and that inflation would return to the 2% target. It said that private sector employers were anticipating awards of 2.5% in the 12 months to August 2022. It also said that recruitment and retention data in the public sector presented a generally positive picture and that these issues in the private sector had not necessarily translated into economy-wide wage increases.
