Liz Truss revealed her intentions last night to cut pay for millions of public sector workers outside the south east, angering teachers and nurses across the country.
The initiative, which is expected to save around £11bn, was presented as part of the Tory leadership candidate's overall plan to wage a "war on Whitehall waste" which would also see civil service holiday entitlements cut. However, she admitted that national pay settlements would have to be replaced with regional awards for all public sector workers as a result.
She also said she hopes to scrap roles focused on diversity and inclusion as well as end paid time off for union officials so they can carry out their work. Ms Truss added: "There is too much bureaucracy and stale groupthink in Whitehall.
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"If I make it into Downing Street, I will put an end to that and run a government that focuses relentlessly on delivering for the British public, and offers value to hard-working taxpayers."
However, Ms Truss' proposals have received a wave of criticism from both Labour and trade unions.
Labour claims her plans are "a race to the bottom on public sector workers' pay and rights" and accused the foreign secretary of "declaring war on herself with her fantasy recipe for levelling down". Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: "Her ‘tailored’ pay plans would level down the pay of northerners, worsening the divide that already exists.
"This out-of-touch government’s commitment to levelling up is dead.”
It comes after Ms Truss' campaign to become the next prime minister achieved a major boost amid the endorsement of third-placed candidate Penny Mordaunt. Meanwhile, another one of her backers, famous Brexit supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg, told Sky News that the inclusive job creation scheme was "created by the woke for the woke".
He added: "I think ensuring that you have diversity within employment is the job of the people making the employment decisions, not somebody who is employed as a diversity officer.
"And some of the nonsense we have been getting. We had a training programme called 'check yo privilege' - now, what on earth is that? Why is the civil service wasting people's time with a course that doesn't help people do their jobs better?"
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union which represents British government workers, criticised Ms Truss' plans and claimed it "will face opposition every step of the way". He added: "Civil servants are not a political tool to be used and abused for one person's ambition; they are the hard-working people who keep the country running, day in day out, and they deserve respect."
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