Pay negotiations between the Home Office and police collapsed on Wednesday night, raising the prospect of officers joining other public sector employees in a campaign of protest action against the government.

The Home Office had hoped to secure a three-year pay deal that would avoid a repeat of the politically damaging dispute, which earlier this year saw police demonstrating and balloting on the right to strike.

Police representatives said they were unable to sign up to the deal because government negotiators had refused to include a trigger mechanism whereby it could be renegotiated if inflation went up over the next three years by more than the government predicted.

There was further disagreement when government negotiators refused a police bid for a 3.5 per cent pay rise over the coming year, offering instead 2.3 per cent – a similar increase to last year’s contested offer. Police Federation officials warned that their members would have no option but to launch another campaign of protest action if the government did not change its position.

The Home Office accused the police of “scuppering” what it described as a fair pay offer of 7.8 per cent over three years, after indicating they were ready to sign it.