Anything which claims that public sector workers have higher pay or higher sickness levels or better conditions than the private sector seems guaranteed to garner headlines and the report from right of centre Policy Exchange on pay comparisons this week was no different.

Issued on May 9, after the purdah election period was over and the results fully aired in the weekend media, the report Public and private sector terms, conditions and the issue of fairness gained wide coverage on Radio 4's Today programme as well as in national newspapers.