Cornish MPs support police pay march

10.00.00am GMT Wed 23rd Jan 2008

Cornwall's Liberal Democrat MPs lent their support to local police who marched through London today (Wednesday) to protest about the Government's pay proposals.

Colin Breed MP, Andrew George MP, Julia Goldsworthy MP and Dan Rogerson MP met some 250 members of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary at the end of their march. The first coach load of policemen and women - all of whom had either taken annual leave or were not due to work today - left Penzance at 3am this morning. In total approximately 18,500 officers from across the country - over 13% of the total force - marched from Hyde Park to Millbank.

The police are opposing the Government's offer of a 2.5% increase in their pay this year because the decision not to backdate it means it is effectively a 1.9% increase. Other members of police staff such as police community support officers and civilian staff have had their pay increases backdated but frontline officers have not. The Retail Price Index is currently running at 4%.

Colin Breed MP for South East Cornwall told the Police: "There's no point having independent payment bodies to decide on public sector pay if the Government then interferes with it.

"There's been a very impressive turn-out today and it's great to see the Devon and Cornwall Police out in force. We're totally behind them."

Andrew George MP for the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Constituency of St Ives said: "it is regrettable that the Government has left rank and file policemen and women with no alternative then to protest on the streets of London. It is important that this clear injustice is put right. Millions of other public sector workers depend on the Government losing in its attempt to flagrantly dismiss the recommendations of the independent pay review body they agreed to set up to resolve these matters.

"I thought the marchers were, on the whole, orderly and needed very little police intervention!"