George Eustice squirms over nurses pay in excruciating exchange after Dua Lipa calls on Boris to give more at BRITs

GEORGE Eustice squirmed this morning in an excruciating exchange after Dua Lipa called on Boris Johnson to give nurses a pay rise at the BRITs.

The awkward interaction comes after the pop star demanded the PM offer frontline workers more than the proposed 1% pay rise after their hard work in the pandemic.

She also name-dropped Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu at the O2 Arena tonight in front of an audience made up of key workers, and praised the nurse who has been a pioneer for change and for women for decades.

But this morning, Cabinet minister George Eustice stressed there is a “difficult public finance environment” after Dua Lipa used her Brit Awards acceptance speech to call for an NHS pay rise.

The Environment Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “There’s been a pay rise, it was announced.

“There’s been a pay freeze for most of the public sector and it’s also important to recognise that in recent years that there have been some pay rises as well, particularly for nurses and the lower paid.

“We know that it is a difficult public finance environment as well, so we can’t always go as far as you’d like, but it’s also the case that there’s a pay review that’s going on into the NHS.”

Last night, as she won the award for British female solo artist, Dua Lipa said about Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu: “She has spent her stellar nursing career fighting racial injustice.

“She has also spent so much time and is a strong, strong advocate for protecting frontline workers. She has also said that there’s a massive disparity between gratitude and respect for frontline workers because it’s very good to clap for them but we need to pay them.

“And so I think what we should do is we should all give a massive massive round of applause and give Boris a message that we all support a fair pay rise for our frontline.”