Rishi Sunak considers benefits freeze and public sector pay freeze to pay for Covid crisis.

[HeIenaDove]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-considers-freezing-benefits-22712652?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Rishi Sunak has looked at a freeze on benefits and public sector pay to fight the spiralling cost of the coronavirus crisis, it is reported today.

Sources failed to rule out the crushing blow to millions of workers and the poorest - just a few years after long austerity freezes finally ended.

The Chancellor is also said to be trying to persuade Boris Johnson to suspend the "triple lock" on pensions, reports the Mail on Sunday - amid fears it will artificially rise due to the economic turmoil.

A Treasury source downplayed the reports, emphasising that the government previously said there would be no return to austerity.

However, the department failed to rule out the claims, saying it would not comment on future tax or spending decisions

Our university has frozen our pay increases, and we may be looking at redundancies.

The thing is, even if we don't lockdown, the economy will suffer because when all said and done, people don't want to work in city centres and they don't want to shop/eat out as the risk rises again. The economy is going to be damaged by another round of corona whether or not anyone officially responds to it, and very high rates being allowed to run rampant will really affect people's responses.

@roarfeckingroarr bet you haven't been frozen for the last ten years tho. No we shouldn't be exempt but we've also been reduced to the absolute bare minimum of funding and pay to the point there's barely any services left.

Why is a public sector pay freeze news? It would be more newsworthy if there was a rise

And

Well my public sector pay has been frozen for 10 years. So effectively my pay has been cut in real terms, year on year since 2010.

^^^ Yup, I'm public sector too, so if that's 'all' it's not really any different for me. Before anyone mentions it, I am fully aware that I am lucky to have a relatively secure job, and that I am free to apply for other jobs if I don't like it!

This might be the final kick up the backside to get me back to the private sector.

Er... I'm private sector, and we had no pay rise at all this year. In fact some senior members of staff took a pay cut and/or reduced their hours. And half of the less senior staff was made redundant.

Trust me, the grass is not greener right now, and probably won't be for a while (except perhaps for pharmaceutical firms)

I’m sure it will be more than this. Tax rises etc

Wait for Sunak to deliver plan as it’s more speculation

I'm unclear how the lockdown fans thought this was going to be paid for. It's going to be pay cuts, tax hikes, benefit freezes and slashed public services all the way. Austerity with knobs on.

I'm unclear how the lockdown fans thought this was going to be paid for. It's going to be pay cuts, tax hikes, benefit freezes and slashed public services all the way. Austerity with knobs on.

Exactly. You shut everything down, tax revenue plummets, this is the inevitable result.

@PinkMacaron

I'm unclear how the lockdown fans thought this was going to be paid for. It's going to be pay cuts, tax hikes, benefit freezes and slashed public services all the way. Austerity with knobs on.

Yep

I agree with you in principle but the problem here, in theory at least, is that if a big corporation moves away it leads to job losses, more people in poverty and fewer working people paying tax. I'd like to see them pay their fair share but can see the government are in a cleft stick when other countries would welcome them with tax incentives

So we allow large corporations to pay insufficient amounts of tax as we are not a country strong enough with job opportunities but take from the vulnerable as they have nothing to fight with, No not acceptable.

Work FT with no pay rise in literally years - so I think a freeze on handouts to those who do SFA for it is pretty fair in the scheme of things. The worst off are workers who are low paid, dont get benefits or all the freebies that come with it.

@Kaiserin my equivalent private sector job would easily double my salary. I have stayed public for flexible working but if I can have that in the private sector why stay? DH is private sector so I still keep in touch with conditions there.

Sounds about right. Make the poor sods at the bottom cough up to protect the rich. Doesn’t your heart just bleed for Johnson who can’t manage on his salary of £150k.

Got to be more than this surely. My pay in FE has been pretty much frozen since 2010 and I wasn't expecting any change to that tbh.

To clarify - meant those on benefitst NOT public sector - they earn their money if they are fire, police, nurses, teachers etc

It's always the poorest people who pay for these things

😂😂

My friend gets £1800 per month for having bipolar. That's more per months than I've ever been able to earn, despite working from 8am.until 6pm, every fucking day of the week plus bank holidays and alternate weekends.

@Bourbonbiccy

Yes, that's right take from people on benefits rather than taxing the big corporations, of course that's the moral thing to do.

Given the massive debt we're racking up, it'll be both, not one or the other.

Most of us will end up paying something towards the economic recovery. I hope we can pay a bit more tax as it means we are still earning.

Hardly surprising and frankly just the beginning. We can hardly shut down parts of the economy indefinitely without consequence. It will get a lot lot worse. I hope for the sake of young people, that pensions are also frozen. The young have borne the worst of the economic consequence and we all need to share the pain.

Come on people little bit of critical thinking.

This is from THE MIRROR. They wouldn't ever support any conservative policy on anything, just as the Mail or Telegraph wouldn't ever support Labour.

@butterer
No if they are genuine. but see post above yours - many are not and they get extra freebies like brandnew cars too

NHS. I am unsurprised I am getting claps rather than a pay rise.

This......

'This is unsurprising. If people insist on being 'kept safe' by having pathological tunnel vision focused only on one risk, then they have to expect life to go to utter shit. I don't know what else anyone was expecting tbh. But hey all the children who die due to poverty won't have died of covid so who gives a flying fuck eh?@HeIenaDove

Indeed ....

Cars arent free. They are paid for with motability. While othering them i bet you bloody well expect them to wear face masks to protect you though.

The triple lock on pensions needs to go, and honestly it's a shame that they weren't reduced by 20% for the duration of the furlough scheme. It is simply unacceptable to not expect those who have (as a group) benefitted the most from the lockdown to contribute towards the cost of it.