Blog: This cynical, divisive kick in the teeth

Rishi Sunak’s spending review was a bit like old-style Thatcherism by numbers.
On the one hand, the big numbers to dazzle and try and convince us all that the Tories are about levelling up and giving us a chance to flourish.
On the other, the grim reality of a real-terms pay cut for millions who work across public services, with the added risk of job cuts further down the line.
Once inflation is taken into account, the chancellor’s announcement of an arbitrary pay pause means about &