If the public sector pay cap had been lifted this week police officers and staff would have been unlikely to feel any benefits soon, the head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council has suggested.

On Tuesday night, MPs from the Conservative Party and Democratic Unionist Party voted against a Labour Party amendment to the Queen’s Speech calling for an end to cuts to the police and fire service and a call to end the public sector pay cap.

Chiefs already argued for officers' pay to only go up by one per cent in the next financial year in their submission to the pay review body, while the Police Federation called for a 2.8 per cent rise.

In a press briefing on Thursday she outlined many of the strains on the service in recent weeks – including a surge in 999 calls, cancelled rest days for officers, detectives investigating terrorism, family liaison officers being drafted in from far and wide to support relatives of those being affected by terrorism and the Grenfell Tower fire.

She suggested the Met and Greater Manchester Police will be making special funding appeals to the Home Office for the costs of dealing with recent events.

But she also raised a negative impact of raising police pay.

“Of course we know we do need efficiency but we do need real terms protection and you’ll have picked up the debate yesterday about what might happen in terms of pay across the public sector.

“I’m absolutely certain that every officer and member of staff across policing would welcome a pay rise of more than one per cent but of course that would increase more pressure on the budgets unless there was some better settlement,” she said.

“Every force as I understand it has budgeted for a one per cent pay increase in September, if it’s higher than that there is an affordability issue straight away. It does create affordability issues this year, and from then on.”

CC Thornton said the three areas of particular concern for police budgets are counter terrorism costs, neighbourhood policing and dealing with cyber-attacks.

The Labour Party amendment put forward on Wednesday night did also call for an end to cuts, and the ability to increase more officer numbers in the police and fire services.

After it was blocked by the Conservatives and the party's partners, Hampshire Police Federation chairman John Apter released a statement which slammed the move.

“This was a golden opportunity for the government to put its money where its mouth is and show genuine support for the hard working emergency services,” he said.

“To reject this vote is not only hypocrisy but also a kick in the teeth for those very emergency workers whom the government has been praising.

“I am deeply offended that the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have the audacity to look police officers in the eye and tell them how much of a great job they are doing.

“Politicians are shaking hands with police officers, but with the other hand they are stabbing them in the back.

“This is contemptible on so many levels and shows the deep disconnect between the government and members of the emergency services.

“The impact of the pay freeze and pay cap is having a significant impact. As I have mentioned before, some officers are getting food vouchers from charities, others are struggling to pay their rent or their mortgage.

“This vote shows the government is so out of touch and ignorant of reality.”

During the debate Home Secretary Amber Rudd claimed the police budget has been protected in cash terms since 2015 and that the Conservatives main focus is on “outcomes” and continuing police reform.