Pay deals in line with inflation ‘unaffordable’, says minister as winter of strikes looms

‘There simply isn’t the money’, says transport secretary – who denies blocking deal to avoid more rail strikes

Public sector pay rises in line with soaring inflation are “unaffordable”, cabinet minister Mark Harper has said, raising the chances of a winter of strikes going ahead.

The transport secretary said on Sunday there “simply isn’t the money” to meet the demands of NHS nurses and other public sector staff, as he also denied blocking a pay deal for rail workers.

Nurses are set to stage their first-ever UK-wide strike before Christmas, as they join transport, postal workers and university workers on the picket lines in disputes over pay and conditions.