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Photograph: Alamy

Tuesday briefing: public sector pay cap comes to a head

This article is more than 6 years old
Photograph: Alamy

May faces party pressure as scope of pay cuts emerges … Trump insults North Korea leader over missile launch … slugs are so misunderstood

Top story: Tory figures accept something has to change

Good morning, Graham Russell here with the news to start your day.

Theresa May will face fresh pressure today after a damning report showed the scale of public sector pay cuts after a decade of pay freezes. The teaching profession has seen average pay fall by £3 an hour in real terms and police officers by £2 an hour, a government report that was quietly launched yesterday found. It sets up a crunch cabinet meeting today.

Senior figures, including Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Justine Greening and Michael Gove, have signalled that the 1% cap on wage rises ought to be reconsidered and there is even doubt as to whether such a major measure can wait until the autumn budget.

As May herself said last year, “Our economy should work for everyone, but if your pay has stagnated for several years in a row and fixed items of spending keep going up, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.”

Frances O’Grady points out that polling in the days after the election showed more than three-quarters of voters wanted to end the artificial pay restrictions – even if it meant tax rises.


‘Nothing better to do?’ – Donald Trump – already under fire for his “juvenile behaviour” in office – has personally mocked Kim Jong-un on Twitter hours after North Korea launched its missile test. Not how you might expect a world leader to handle a nuclear crisis. He then speculated that China would “put a heavy move on North Korea”, echoing language he has used about women. Despite Trump’s mocking tone, the launch of the ballistic missile, which landed in waters near Japan, could take a serious turn. North Korea is expected to make a major announcement later today.

The US president’s behaviour online is causing some to have genuine concerns for his mental health, said Julia Gillard, a former Australian prime minister and chair of depression charity beyondblue.

Composite: Getty



Gene testing on the NHS – Genomic testing should be a normal part of NHS care, the chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, has said. She has urged the creation of a new “social contract” in which the public recognises it can collectively help the fight against disease if they allow their genome to be studied. The idea is that giving scientists hundreds of thousands of genomes to compare will help them find out what mutations lead to illnesses, particularly cancers and rare disorders.


Charlie Gard – The traumatic story of this 10-month-old has taken a fresh twist, with Donald Trump personally offering to help him receive treatment in the US, something Charlie’s parents have unsuccessfully been fighting for. It is understood an American hospital has offered to treat Charlie free of charge. The pope earlier urged that the parents be allowed to do everything possible for Charlie.


Extremism in the long grass – A report on foreign funding of extremism in the UK – which is thought to be critical of Saudi Arabia – is gathering dust in the PM’s office, drawing accusations it is being buried for diplomatic reasons. Green party co-leader Caroline Lucas, who has been leading the charge on this, has been told publication of the review of Islamist extremism in the UK is a matter for Theresa May. The PM visited Saudi Arabia in one of her first trips after triggering Brexit, a highly symbolic move.


Refugee route at crisis point – Charities that help rescue migrants in Mediterranean waters have reacted angrily to emergency proposals that could bring them under the control of Libyan and Italian coast guards. They have been blamed by Italy and Libya for making the problem worse, acting as a “pull factor” on those tempted to make the perilous journey. The organisations say the plan will damage their ability to save lives at sea and reduce their funding. Two thousand people have died so far this year.


BBC v Netflix – The nation’s broadcaster is going to reverse 15 years of declining spending on children’s TV, and put a decent chunk of that budget into online offerings to battle US web rivals such as Netflix and Amazon. The children’s TV budget will rise to £124.4m by 2019-20, with about a quarter of that going online – think quizzes, video blogs and apps.

Photograph: imageBROKER / Alamy/Alamy

Save our slugs – Chris Packham has set himself a tough task: trying to stop the gardening public killing slugs. His argument is a.) They just can’t help themselves, – “The slug’s been offered a free banquet” – and b.) it jeopardises the numbers of hedgehogs, slowworms and song thrushes, which he called “the closest you’re going to get to a nightingale in the 21st-century British garden”.


Lunchtime read: Eradicating racist ideas in the US

Amid the jubilation of Barack Obama’s election, the question was posed: “Are we now in a post-racial America?”. But everyone who has witnessed his presidency – and the historic opposition to him – should know that the more black people uplift themselves, the more they will be on the receiving end of a racist backlash, writes Ibram X Kendi. So what will it take? One thing is for sure, it’s not enough to simply protest.

Sport

Despite a bright start on day one of Wimbledon, there is only tempered confidence that Andy Murray can resist the pressures imposed by his troublesome hip and by contenders on the court to claim a third title. Meanwhile, a tearful Venus Williams walked out of her press conference after her first-round victory, the American’s first match since her involvement in a fatal car accident in Florida that police allege she caused.

The British & Irish Lions have momentum after their memorable win in Wellington, but the All Blacks will be charged up by defeat, writes Paul Rees. Caster Semenya, the Olympic 800m champion, may be banned from competing at future Games unless she undergoes hormone replacement therapy or even surgery. The FIA will take no further action against Sebastian Vettel after investigating the incident in which he drove into Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. And John Terry, who has signed for Aston Villa, is aware of his public image but is eager to prove himself as a player and personality by leading his new club back to the top flight.

Business

Former Barclays chief executive John Varley and three former colleagues have appeared in court to face fraud charges relating to how the bank raised billions of pounds from Qatar in 2008. They are the first senior bankers to face criminal charges for events dating back to the banking crisis almost a decade ago. The Bank of England faces the first ever strike at its headquarters over a pay dispute. The bank has denied union claims the four-day action would make the institution “effectively inoperable”. Hinkley Point C in Somerset will cost £1.5bn more than planned, and be 15 months late, which is no surprise for an EDF project but the timing of it so early in the project is a shock, writes Nils Pratley.

The pound is buying $1.29 and €1.14.

The papers

The Mail leads with claims that NHS patients were given contaminated blood during the 1980s, and that officials were aware of the dangers for years. A civil court action against the government will be lodged in the high court today by 300 families, it says.

The Guardian splashes with news that real pay has fallen for police officers and teachers and stagnated for nurses after a decade of public sector pay freezes. The Times meanwhile leads with ministers lobbying the chancellor to scrap any tax cuts in order to fund public sector pay increases.

The Mirror has the headline: “Now put your money where your mouth is” and highlights praise Theresa May has showered on nurses, police and firefighters after the recent terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire, saying she should now back this up by scrapping a 1% public sector pay cap.

The Sun splashes with a story about a London criminal who was given a nine-year jail sentence for a stabbing being freed after just nine months, apparently due to a court clerical error.

The Telegraph leads with: “Charities face £25k fines for pestering” and says a new watchdog will have the power to sanction organisations that do not respond to public requests to stop contacting them for donations.

The FT highlights a letter in its pages from the health and business secretaries which it says challenges Brexit hardliners by saying the UK must retain ties with the EU drug regulator for the benefit of the Britain’s critical life sciences sector.

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