Gulf between public and private sectors lies behind UK pay growth reports

Analysis: official figures are fuelled by bumper City bonuses but many key workers still getting below inflation rises

Pay growth is picking up, official figures showed this week, but for key workers on the pandemic frontline the champagne is firmly on ice.

The detail behind annual pay growth of 4.9% in December revealed the gulf between the size of awards being handed to public sector workers, and those in the private sector, boosted in part by swelling banker bonuses.