From the Times article...
Penny Mordaunt, the defence secretary, has secured a 2.5 per cent rise for all members of the armed forces. The salary for the lowest-paid privates will go up from £19,025 to £20,000. She has made clear that pay increases for soldiers and other forces personnel are the “right priority” given their “vital importance” and “hard work and self-sacrifice” in protecting Britain.
and
“It is the highest nominal pay increase since the coalition. But these increases are still slower than pay rises that are happening on average in the private sector. With the partial exception of schools, there seems to be no new money to fund these pay rises, meaning savings will have to be made elsewhere.”
If this is to be trusted then the 2.9% headline figure won’t be for everyone.