Rutland MP Alicia Kearns: Public sector workers make a vital contribution and deserve pay rise

The pandemic has underlined what we always knew- that our public sector workers make a vital contribution to our country and communities, and are always there for us to rely on when we need them, writes Rutland MP Alicia Kearns.

I am so very pleased that the Government has announced that almost 900,000 public sector workers will rightly receive an above-inflation pay rise, with teachers and doctors seeing the largest rise at 3.1 per cent and 2.8 per cent. I welcome that this reflects their dedication, hard work and contribution to our country.

In my last article, I touched upon the Government’s proud record of promoting and defending human rights both at home and abroad. This is ever-more pertinent when it comes to China, who flagrantly continue to breach their international obligations and the well-established norms of the international rules based order. This week, the Government has again sharpened its response to China’s imposition of its security law on the people of Hong Kong.