The long anticipated United Kingdom Spending Review has delivered what most observers expected — a freeze in the pay of most Public Servants and a cut in foreign aid.
The review, set out by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak as the first stage in tackling the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, called for the “protection of jobs and livelihoods and that no-one is left without hope or opportunity”.
According to the country’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the UK’s economy contracted by 11.3 per cent this year, the largest drop in 300 years.
Public Servants exempted from the freeze are National Health Service (NHS) workers and those earning less than $32,000 ($A58,000) a year.
Public sector unions have attacked the plan.
General Secretary of Unison, the country’s biggest union, Dave Prentis (pictured) said key workers across all public services remained at the heart of the fight against COVID-19.
“Pay restraint for all but front-line NHS staff will be a cruel body blow to other healthcare and Public Service employees working tirelessly to get us through the pandemic,” Mr Prentis said.
The country’s cut in foreign aid to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income has also been criticised, some claiming that it could negatively impact millions.
Former Prime Minister, John Major said the cuts were “morally wrong and politically unwise”.
Another former Prime Minister, Tony Blair said cuts to aid could be “measured literally in millions of lives”.
Mr Sunak said that foreign aid would go back to the original pledge of 0.7 per cent “when the fiscal situation allows”.
London, 28 November 2020
