Smith laughs off resignation call

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today laughed off calls for her resignation over the police pay row as she visited Wolverhampton.

Miss Smith said she had no plans to quit, despite officers accusing her of a betrayal over a promised pay hike. The West Midlands Police Federation today called for Miss Smith to resign and said that she was "not capable" of the job.

And in a new development, Devon and Cornwall Police chief constable Stephen Otter today backed the officers' pay claim.

Miss Smith's decision not to back-date a 2.5 per cent pay rise has angered officers, who say staging the award so that it comes in on December 1 rather than September means it really amounts to only 1.9 per cent.

Police officers in Scotland have had their pay back-dated to September.

But Ms Smith, at the city's Wulfrun Hall to see the work of the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership, said the pay package given to officers was "very good".

Asked about calls for her resignation, she laughed and said: "I'm still here." Asked if she was going to resign, she said "No, I'm not" and rejected suggestions that she had betrayed officers.

She said: "I welcome the hard work being done here in the West Midlands by police officers. That's why they've got the very good pay package and pension package relative to other public sector workers.

"This year's pay award, however, was done in a context of public sector pay where everybody had to play their part in ensuring we're also able to keep inflation down."

The Government is also facing a ballot in which every officer in the UK will be asked whether they want the right to strike.