MORE than 20,000 police officers are threatening to march on Westminster and others will protest in the constituency of Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, in an escalation of their pay dispute with the government.

The Home Office has refused to backdate a 2.5% pay rise for officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Police Federation has called for Smith to resign over the issue.

It is now planning an unprecedented campaign with off-duty officers marching in Westminster and staging a protest in Smith’s Worcestershire constituency. The protests would mean uniformed officers having to face their off-duty colleagues.

Peter Smyth, vice-chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “We are not natural protesters but the government has reneged on the pay deal and we can’t negotiate, we can’t arbitrate. They are trying to bully the only set of workers who can’t fight back - but we can and we’ll show them through the strength of our arguments and protest.”

To add to Smith’s troubles, there is mounting concern among Labour’s own MPs about the stand-off. Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, said: “This is a needless row that the government has got itself into. It’s an issue that has resonated across party boundaries.”

Vaz has been leading a revolt against the stance, tabling an early day motion calling upon the government to reconsider its decision; 150 MPs are already backing the campaign and there was speculation in Westminster this weekend that John Reid and Charles Clarke, both former home secretaries, might add their names.

The home affairs select committee will quiz chief constables and members of the Police Federation on Tuesday about the pay settlement. Officers are likely to highlight the dispute’s damaging impact upon morale.

They are angry that Smith has withheld three months of back pay by introducing the pay rise from December 1 instead of September 1, the date recommended by an independent tribunal. The pay deal has, however, been backdated in Scotland.

Police will be balloted in the new year on whether they want the right to strike. They are at present banned by law from taking industrial action.

Gordon Brown has refused to change his mind on the issue, warning that a backdated agreement could fuel inflation.

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