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Pay rose 6.9% in three months to October but fell in real terms because of inflation
Letting inflation reduce real wages while expecting services to be maintained is dishonest
Pandemic pressures combined with long-term cuts have left vital services under chronic strain
Day-to-day spending on public services to be frozen in real terms for three years from 2025
After a decade of austerity, public services are not an easy target to cut
The Truss camp’s calls to ‘roll back the frontiers of the state’ invite the question: to where?
Don’t try to tame price rises by using public services as an anchor
Partial concession leaves workers unhappy and managers facing tough decisions
Figures come as unions threaten strikes if government holds wage rises below 5%
Revised deal comes as below-inflation offers across economy look set to trigger months of strikes
Departments will need to ‘consider reprioritisation’ of existing plans, say Treasury and Cabinet Office
Bid sends Scottish bus operator’s shares up nearly 40% as board recommends pulling out from planned merger
‘Small-state Tory’ says sectors from education to infrastructure will suffer without reform
Both Labour and the Conservatives have a political motive to reach for an idea that has fallen out of fashion
Proposed levy would only raise the cost of capital for the companies we rely on to transform our future energy supply
The government’s response to immediate pressures on the system is inadequate and indefensible
Dismal outlook means spending needs to focus on lifting potential output
Supply teachers and agency nurses among those put into umbrella company schemes
Crisis has exposed risk-taking and muddled boundary between public and private
As the coronavirus lockdown continues, one golf course is allowing families to book walking time slots
Sajid Javid had insisted on discipline but Downing Street wants more leeway to borrow
PM eyes projects for voters who ditched Labour and backed Tories
Critics lament failure to address social care crisis and question nurse recruitment
Conservatives should worry that Corbyn is winning the argument
Brexit should not drown out a serious election debate on public finances
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