Boris Johnson says workers should accept a pay cut to avoid spiralling inflation – is he right?

The PM claims we must accept falling wages to prevent spiralling inflation, writes Ben Chapman. But experts say this fundamentally misunderstands the problem

Rail workers are among those seeking to strike (EPA)

Boris Johnson wants British workers to take one for the team and accept pay cuts in the face of soaring living costs.

Faced with a wave of strikes and a “summer of discontent”, the prime minister says pay rises are not the solution to a surge in prices, warning that: “If wages continue to chase the increase in prices then we risk a wage-price spiral such as this country experienced in the 1970s.”

But is he right? Many experts are sceptical and argue that further restricting salaries would actually worsen the country’s deep economic problems.