The Cabinet Office guidance sets the range for pay awards across most of the civil service and has been set at 1-2% for 2019/20.

Prospect is disappointed that its members will have another year of pay awards that are below inflation.

Once again, civil servants will receive some of the lowest pay awards in the public sector, significantly below the 2.7% awarded to MPs in April.

This is despite the extra hours they have put in preparing for the possible consequences of the government’s mishandling of Brexit.

But the union did welcome the government’s claim that 2% is not a cap and departments or agencies can make a business case for awarding higher offers.

Prospect deputy general secretary Garry Graham said: “It is extremely disappointing that the prime minister has not taken the opportunity to show her appreciation to her civil servants for keeping government going amid political turmoil.

“However, the flexibility to use recycled money and non-consolidated pay pots (in part) to help fund consolidated pay increases and address anomalies is welcome.

“We also welcome the recognition that structural issues like the lack of pay progression need to be addressed.

“But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Will the Cabinet Office be as flexible as it suggests?

“It is now up to civil service leaders to be ambitious and make the case for higher increases for their staff. Prospect will be negotiating and campaigning for this in the weeks and months ahead.

“Our members’ anger – and their conviction that things need to improve – should not be underestimated. We will hold the cabinet office and employers to account,” Graham concluded.