Nadine Dorries said today that nurses would understand the proposed 1% salary increase as it could help their “husbands” or “partners” to continue to receive a salary through the time off program.
The health minister and former nurse said she would pay medical professionals millions ‘if it was up to me’ amid a furious response to the controversial NHS proposal.
She claimed Downing Street had been forced to make “tough choices” throughout the pandemic, including continuing the holiday program until September.
Speaking to BBC Woman’s Hour, she said: ‘If I can quote a nurse in charge of a vaccination center who I spoke to on Saturday, here is what she said:’ We have two children in our house. , two of us, two upcoming salaries and an outgoing mortgage. ”
“If I had to choose between my husband’s leave until the fall and a pay rise, I would choose to have my husband put on leave at any time, because now we have the guarantee that our mortgage can be paid” .
‘And she also said,’ I completely understand ‘.’
Nadine Dorries (pictured) claimed she would pay medical professionals millions ‘if it was up to me’ amid a furious response to the controversial proposal
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The former nurse added that she thinks most nurses understand why the salary increase is lower than expected, adding: “They understand that this is a very important decision that we had to make and that it was too. an incredibly costly decision for public finances. ”
Ms Dorries said: ‘We all know the position the economy is in right now and we all want to see this economy recover because without a strong economy we cannot fund the NHS.
“What I hope is that the nurses will stay with us, and I will come back to see the person in charge of my vaccination center who said to me:” The nurses understand “. They really understand.
It comes as Boris Johnson hinted at a change in NHS pay yesterday, suggesting nurses could be treated ‘exceptionally’.
Mr Johnson trembled as he was reprimanded by Labor’s Keir Starmer during a PMQ session, with the Labor leader comparing the proposed 1 percent for health workers to the 40 percent increase for the ex – help Dominic Cummings.
She claimed Downing Street had been forced to make “tough choices” throughout the pandemic, including continuing the holiday program until September.
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Boris Johnson squirmed as he was reprimanded by Labor’s Keir Starmer during a tetchy PMQ session on Wednesday
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Sir Keir demanded that MPs vote on the “reduction in real terms”.
The unions have threatened strikes over the “insulting” increase while the Conservatives are reluctant.
Ministers have so far argued that the hike is all the country can afford with the coronavirus pushing the national debt up to £ 2.8 trillion, and stressed that the rest of the public sector is facing to a gel.
But the prime minister fueled speculation about a change on Wednesday by stressing that the wage review body will examine the evidence.
“Of course we will be looking at what the independent salary review body has to say in an exceptional way about the nursing profession for which we particularly value,” he told MPs.
Sir Keir accused Mr Johnson of cheering for caregivers last year before opting to ‘shut the door in their face at the first opportunity’ via the 1% pay hike.
NHS workers staged protests against the pay shift outside Downing Street over the weekend
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The Labor leader told the House of Commons: “There are currently 40,000 nursing positions and 7,000 doctor positions. How the hell does he think a pay cut will solve this?
‘Frankly I would take the Prime Minister a little more seriously if he hadn’t spent £ 2.6million in taxpayer money on a Downing Street TV studio or £ 200,000 on new wallpaper for his apartment.
“They say charity starts at home, but I think the Prime Minister takes it a bit too literally.
But Mr Johnson denied staff “would lose hundreds of pounds a year” as a result of the budget measures, and insisted the Tories are the “party of the NHS”.
“We are increasing the wages of nurses, we are massively increasing our investment in the NHS,” he said.
“We’re on a steady course, as it weaves and wobbles from week to week.
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