Boris Johnson piles more pressure on Theresa May as he adds his voice to growing Cabinet chorus calling for 1% public sector pay cap to be scrapped

BORIS Johnson has heaped more pressure on Theresa May over public sector pay by joining a growing chorus of Cabinet ministers calling for the 1 per cent cap to be scrapped.

The Foreign Secretary will also anger Philip Hammond by urging the Chancellor to find the money to ease austerity.

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A Government source said Mr Johnson wants to give workers a wage boost and believes the recommendations of independent pay review bodies which back increases should be followed.

He "strongly believes" a public sector pay rise can be done in a "responsible way" which will not put undue pressure on the public finances, they added.

Mr Johnson’s views go further than those stated by his old adversary and Cabinet colleague Michael Gove yesterday.

The Environment Secretary said the Government has "got to listen" to the pay review bodies, one of which has already recommended a pay rise for NHS workers this year.

And the row descended into open Cabinet war as he contradicted Mr Hammond on whether there would need to be tax rises to pay for raising public sector salaries.

The Chancellor is still aiming to wipe out the deficit by the middle of the next decade, but pressure is mounting on him and the PM to relax the nation’s purse strings.

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Several Tory MPs have called for an end to the pay cap after the party disastrously lost its majority in the General Election to anti-austerity Labour, which has pledged to scrap the 1% ceiling.

And even Mrs May’s close Cabinet allies - Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling – have called for a rethink.

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Increasing public sector pay would boost the earnings of 5.1 million workers, including 1.6 million in the NHS and 1.5 million in public education, according to the Institute For Fiscal Studies, but is likely to cost billions of pounds.

In March, the NHS pay review body highlighted "widespread concerns" about recruitment, retention and motivation among employers and staff and said "we are approaching the point when the current pay policy will require some modification, and greater flexibility, within the NHS".

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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will reportedly cite the report while demanding the pay cap is scrapped for NHS workers.

A Number 10 source has said the Government is responding to the recommendations of pay review bodies currently reporting to ministers "on a case-by-case basis".

The source said the pay cap was brought in to "deal with the mess we inherited from Labour" and acknowledged the "hard work and sacrifice" made by public sector workers, saying jobs had been protected and the deficit reduced by three quarters.

"While we understand the sacrifice that has been made, we must also ensure we continue to protect jobs and deal with our debts," the source added.