Photograph courtesy of 401 Calculator
MPs worried about a major pubic outcry have called the decision by the independent watchdog’s decision to give MPs an 11% pay rise at a time when the public are tightening their belts, have called the decision “wholly inappropriate”.
All three party leaders condemned the move when it was proposed earlier in the year, fearing backlash from a public that still remembers stories of duck houses being claimed on MPs expenses. The rise also comes at a delicate time when MPs have frozen the pay of most public sector workers for the last two years. However, as an independent body, IPSA does not need the agreement of MPs to raise or lower the payment terms.
The 11% rise will give each politician an extra £7,600, bringing their annual salary £74,000, and will cost the taxpayer £4.6 million. Alongside this change, politicians will also see changes to their “gold-plated” pensions and see some allowances scrapped.