Tony Blair turned down a large (40,000) pay increase in the light of demands from other public sector workers including doctors, and good for him!

One Labour minister said "I believe it's a particularly difficult time for the Government and Cabinet Ministers, in particular, ought to be sensitive to the feelings of people such as nurses, teachers, and others in the public sector who are being given the impression that their pay is likely to be further constrained over at least a two-year period"

This outlook is more promising than the beheviour with Tory ministers who seemed to feel it was their God given right to take whatever came their way and to hell with everyone else.