Constituents have contacted me as part of a campaign run by
38 degrees asking to give all NHS staff an immediate pay rise.
I fully appreciate the incredibly hard work put in by staff
in the NHS as well as across a number of critical and key workers during the
COVID-19 pandemic. There are many people who have heroically carried on doing
their work throughout this pandemic who all deserve great praise and
recognition.
At the moment, the priority must continue to be to focus on
the immediate challenge of continuing
our fighting against the COVID-19 virus, emerging from the lockdown and
reopening our economy.
Once we are through this it will be right to consider how
best to recognise all those who put themselves on the frontline in this crisis.
This could of course include a pay increase and when the appropriate time comes
this is something I would happily support.
