PIES Morgan has accused ministers of “screwing over” nurses and slapping them in the face with a pay rise of just one per cent.
The Good Morning Britain host laid into minister Vicky Ford this morning, and launched a furious tirade at her – saying the Government treats its nurses “so badly”.
Last week it was revealed that NHS staff are set to get a one per cent pay rise – but other public sector pay is frozen from next year.
Ministers said it was all that could be afforded and stressed the need to start paying back the huge debts from Covid.
Many hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs completely, they also said.
Today Matt Hancock will take an urgent question in the Commons on the issue.
Yesterday ministers opened the door to a change of heart, saying the pay review bodies would have the final say.
The government could yet u-turn on to to see off a strike, Gavin Williamson hinted.
Today Piers blasted: “Why are you screwing the nurses? I don’t get how the Government wins this. You’re obviously going to do a u-turn like you did on school meals.
“You’ve treating them like dirt. They’ve had the most difficult year of their entire lives.
“A lot of them have seen colleagues killed on the front line in the pandemic.
“Boris Johnson’s life was saved by nurses and doctors and his response is a massive two figures.”
He went on to attack them for taking part on weekly claps for NHS staff, adding: “The hypocrisy of all of you going out, clap clap clap and now, whack. I find it utterly disgraceful.
“What is the matter with you all?”
Children’s minister Vicky Ford tried to answer back, telling Piers: “We obviously need to be incredibly mindful of the many hundreds of thousands of people who have lost this jobs during this pandemic.”
But he interrupted immediately, yelling: “Why are you slapping nurses in the face? Why do we treat our nurses so badly?”
She replied: “With huge respect for nurses, the pay review will be looking at this. Many nurses will be on pay progression and will get extra pay.
“We have had a massive economic hit, the biggest recession since the second world war.”
The war over NHS pay looks set to rumble on until a final decision is made.
Yesterday Mr Williamson stressed NHS workers the only part of the public sector to see any rise this year because of a “period of restraint” sparked by £407 billion of pandemic spending.
Mr Williamson said on Sunday morning TV that that the Department of Health had “put forward what we believe we can afford” for nurses during “difficult economic challenges”.
He stressed teachers and others in the public sector will face a pay freeze, with NHS staff the only group to be exempted following their efforts during the crisis.
Speaking on a visit to a vaccine hub in Northwest London shortly after, the PM added he was “massively grateful to all NHS staff” insisting “what we have done is tried to give them as much as we can.”
Mr Johnson said: “the independent pay review body will obviously look at what we’ve proposed and come back.”
“Don’t forget that there has been a public sector pay freeze – we’re in pretty tough times – we’ve tried to give the NHS as much as we possibly can, and that means in addition to the £140bn annual money we’ve got another £62bn that we’ve found to help support the NHS throughout the crisis.”
But Labour have branded the offer “reprehensible” and nurses unions are mulling a walk out.
