Hampshire police tell home secretary Priti Patel: 'Pay is no joke.'

Zoë Wakefield, federation chair, was speaking after Priti Patel addressed the Police Federation of England and Wales meeting in Manchester.

A number of delegates served the Home Secretary with home truths about how they or their members were struggling to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis, but the federation said she failed to offer any hope to officers over pay.

Zoë said: ‘The Home Secretary didn’t really give us any of the answers that we were looking for – particularly around pay, which is the biggest issue with police officers. At one point she was even laughing. This isn’t a joke.’

Ms Patel suggested that the problems emerged from federation officials withdrawing from the pay process, but this was rejected by delegates.

‘I would like to ask her why she’s not taking into account the fact that we have had discussions for many years,’ Zoë added.