Clegg Commission
The Standing Commission on Pay Comparability, the 1979-80 UK public-sector pay body.
The Clegg Commission, formally the Standing Commission on Pay Comparability, was announced by James Callaghan on 7 March 1979 to examine public-sector pay against similar work elsewhere, and was wound up in 1980.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026
Timeline for Clegg Commission
Awarded public-sector pay rises from 1979
Is Britain Actually Broke?: Mentioned in: UK public pay up 6.3%, private 2.9%Background
The Clegg Commission is the closest precedent for 2026's gap between public and private pay. ONS figures for May to July showed public-sector regular pay up 6.3% against 2.9% in the private sector. In both cases public pay follows a private benchmark with a lag.
Formally the Standing Commission on Pay Comparability, it was announced by Prime Minister James Callaghan in the Commons on 7 March 1979, after the Winter of Discontent strikes. It examined the pay of public-sector groups referred to it and reported on bases for comparison with similar work elsewhere. Professor Hugh Clegg chaired it.
Margaret Thatcher's incoming government kept it at first, then wound it up in 1980. National Archives files on its work run from 1979 to 1980.