Budget 'reeks of vacuous gesture politics'

GMB has responded to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget speech today.

Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said:

“The Chancellor’s budget is big on headline-capturing announcements but scant on detail.

“Saying you will lift the pay freeze that has ground down public sector workers is meaningless if we don’t even know if wages will increase above inflation.

“Public sector workers must be guaranteed a proper real terms pay rise if the Conservatives are to start making up for their ruinous decade of austerity.

“The planned increase to the minimum wage is not enough to lift people out of poverty and it won’t level up our regions and nations.

“If the Government really wants to end the scourge of low pay and insecure work we need substantial wage increases across key areas of the economy - public services, social care, supply chain sectors and the so-called gig economy – and massive industrial investment to onshore the green jobs of the future.”

“Much of this spending is not new money, the announcements are vague at best and the Chancellor is relying on a very precarious economic recovery – it all reeks of vacuous gesture politics.”