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Shots, the Spectator's Daily Politics Podcast. I'm Isbell Hardman and this is a Sunday roundup.

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson was tasked with the government's media duties this morning

on the day before schools were

due to reopen for the vast majority of children in England. However, there was another issue

at the top of the agenda, the government's offer of a 1% pay rise for NHS staff. Sophie Ridge

questioned Williamson as to whether the amount was too stingy, given the ordeal the Health

Service has recently been through.

What is it about the last year that's made the government feel that nurses deserve a pay cut in real terms?

Well, the government has every stage been clear in terms of our commitment to the NHS.

This is why over the last year we've seen an extra £6 billion being invested into the NHS.

This is why over the next few years we're going to be seeing an increase of close to 34 billion pounds going into

the NHS. And over a million NHS staff are going to be receiving pay increases over and above

that. But also, we are facing difficult economic challenges. We're facing

almost three-quarters of a million people who are unemployed. And we have, in the context of that,

decided to exempt the NHS from the public sector pay freeze, which is the only part of the

public sector that has been exempted from that.

At the same time, though, nurses are getting a pay rise of 1%.

I mean, inflation next year is expected to be 1.5%.

So that works out as a pay cut in real terms.

I can't help thinking this has got a flavour of Marcus Rashford about it.

Everyone can see the U-turn coming. Are you just being

...