Vince Cable responds to pay rise for police and prison staff

The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to lift the pay cap for all public sector workers to avoid a "recruitment crisis" for teachers and nurses. It comes after the government announced that prison officers will get a 1.7% rise while police will get a 1% pay rise plus a 1% bonus for the year. Recent figures have shown there are 11,400 vacancies for nurses and midwives in the NHS, while 34,910 teachers left the profession last year for reasons other than retirement. Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable commented: "It is good to see the government finally recognise that the public sector pay cap is no longer sustainable. "The cap must must now be lifted across the board so all public sector workers are given the pay rise they deserve. "Nurses, teachers and other public sector workers are set to be hundreds of pounds worse off in real terms as a result of rising inflation. "Unless urgent action is taken, the recruitment crisis in nursing and teaching will only get worse."