NHS pay is a risky issue for Rishi Sunak to get tough about

After a couple of U-turns the PM wants to show he can't be pushed around on pay rises but the public are on the side of health workers

When Rishi Sunak appeared in front of parliament's powerful liaison committee this week he doubled down on NHS pay rises in what looked very much like an attempt to turn the winter of strikes into his Thatcher moment.

Just like his political heroine before him, he faced down the unions, telling MPs the country couldn't afford bigger public sector pay rises; warning they risked making inflation worse; and that politicians should not cut across" the independent pay review process.