Thursday’s pay offer marks a significant victory for the thousands of NHS workers in England who have been on the picket lines in the past three months – and a major climbdown for Rishi Sunak’s government.
Until just a few weeks ago, the government appeared determined to hunker down and stick to the script that this year’s pay deal could not possibly be revisited, and that finding extra cash for health workers would jeopardise the fight against soaring inflation.
