Police Federation says it no longer has confidence in Priti Patel

The federation called it 'the final straw'

The Police Federation of England and Wales say they no longer have confidence in Home Secretary Priti Patel. This comes only a few hours after a pay freeze for officers was confirmed. National Chair John Apter said members are "so angry with this Government" but this is the "final straw". "We often hear the Home Secretary praise police officers but our members are so angry with this Government. They have been on the frontline of this pandemic for 18 months and will now see other public services given pay increases while they receive nothing. "At the beginning of this pandemic, they endured PPE shortages and were not even prioritised for the vaccination. They continue to be politicised and this pay announcement is the final straw. "As the organisation that represents more than 130,000 police officers I can say quite categorically – we have no confidence in the current Home Secretary. I cannot look my colleagues in the eye and do nothing." This comes after Patel announced NHS workers in England a 3% pay rise backdated to April 2021 to recognise their pandemic efforts during an "unprecedented year". However, the increase has been met with immense criticism. Ms Patel confirmed that those earning more than £24,000 would be hit by a pay freeze, with those earning less than this sum to be given an annual rise of £250.