British troops are facing what is being described as a completely unacceptable delay in their pay rises due to Treasury red tape.
Almost 200,000 soldiers and sailors have been waiting to find out if the Government were going to finally lift the one percent cap on their wage increase.
The announcement was due in April, but now it appears they will not find out until June.
It comes as the new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Chancellor Philip Hammond have been at loggerheads over proposed cuts to the MoD’s budget.
British troops are facing what is being described as a completely unacceptable delay in their pay rises due to Treasury red tape
Almost 200,000 soldiers and sailors have been waiting to find out if the Government were going to finally lift the one percent cap on their wage increase
Defence insiders have told The Daily Telegraph troops would have to wait two months to find out their fate and Lord West, the former head of the Navy, told the paper the delay was a ‘very bad message’.
Labour’s Nia Griffith, Williamson’s opposite number in the Commons, told the paper the situation was ‘completely unacceptable’ and took to Twitter to vent her fury.
She said: ‘Shocking to hear of delay to this year’s Armed Forces pay rise.
‘Defence Secretary should sort asap, instead of squabbling with the Chancellor.’
But Williamson has played down a rift between him and the Chancellor, revealing a row over Hammond’s use of military jets has been settled.
It came after signs of tensions between the two ministers over proposed cuts to the military to plug a black hole in the Ministry of Defence’s finances.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy, Mr Williamson struck a conciliatory tone as he said he is looking forward to working with Mr Hammond and Prime Minister Theresa May to make sure the country is as safe as possible.
Pressed on whether he is prepared to go to war with the Chancellor over any proposed cuts, he said: ‘We have an amazing team at the top of Government that wants to deliver the one thing that everyone expects of a government – that’s to keep this country safe.’
He added: ‘I am going to do everything I can to put the arguments forward that makes the strongest arguments for the resources and capability that our Armed Forces need.
‘That is something that I think that I have in absolute common with all my colleagues in Government, who recognise the important work and role that they do.’
Earlier this week The Times reported that Mr Hammond had been banned from using a fleet of RAF jets and helicopters until the Treasury settled a bill for his official travel with the MoD.
The MoD was said to have told officials not to accept any more bookings from the Chancellor until the six-figure sum for flights with No 32 (The Royal Squadron) had been paid.
But when quizzed on this and whether it is all sorted, Mr Williamson said: ‘I understand that everything is settled in terms of all payments.’
It comes as the new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson (left) and Chancellor Philip Hammond (right) have been at loggerheads over proposed cuts to the MoD’s budget
In another twist to their rift, appearing before the Commons Treasury Committee on Wednesday, Mr Hammond suggested he would welcome a chance to discuss the defence budget with Mr Williamson – formerly the chief whip – once he properly understood the complexities of it.
When asked for his thoughts and response, Mr Williamson said: ‘I haven’t actually listened to his transcript, I am sure he is always very thoughtful in everything that he says.’
He also said that when coming new into the MoD, all options have to be looked at and decisions should not be rushed into.
‘We were going to be having a meeting to discuss this on Monday, sadly that had to be delayed because of everything that was happening in Europe,’ he said.
‘But I am looking forward to sitting down with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to discuss how best we have the capability and resources we need for our Armed Forces going forward.’