Helath workers would be affected by a freeze on public sector pay

Budget 2009: ‘Freeze public sector pay’

Budget 2009: ‘Freeze public sector pay’

By politics.co.uk staff

The government should freeze public sector pay in an effort to prevent mass redundancies, a leading economic expert had told politics.co.uk.

Speaking during a video interview, Helen Thomas, research fellow at centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, said: “It certainly would be provocative., but that’s not something to be shied away from.

“The alternative could be mass redundancies.”

She called on Alistair Darling to be bold in the Budget, but feared he would have little room for manoeuvre.

“I fear the death by a thousand cuts is not what we need at a time when confidence is low. We need something a bit more visionary,” she said.

Mr Darling is due to present the Budget to parliament tomorrow.