MPs to freeze salaries at £65,738

Move agreed without Commons vote after MPs were told to be ‘in step’ with British workers or risk public anger MPs last night agreed to freeze their £65,738 salaries without a Commons vote after they were told to be “in step” with workers around the country or risk public anger. The move brings MPs into line with most public sector workers, whose pay has been frozen for two years. The Senior Salaries Review Body, whose recommendations have been implemented since 2008, had suggested a 1% rise. However, there was disagreement when the leader of the House, Sir George Young, said MPs’ pay should be set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which is disliked by many MPs. The decision has angered many backbenchers on all sides of the House with some believing they are underpaid and others who do not agree that they should have to vote on their own salary. Many are also angry about curbs placed on their expenses in the wake of the scandal over abuses. Sir George told MPs the Government had to take “difficult decisions” across the public sector, including imposing a two-year pay freeze for those earning over £21,000. He said: “Colleagues must now decide whether their constituents would welcome Parliament exempting itself from this policy and thus insulating itself from decisions that are affecting households up and down the country. “Or whether, as I believe they should be in step with what is being required of other public servants. I believe it is right for us as MPs to forgo the pay increase which the current formula would have produced.” The call was backed by the Shadow leader of the House, Hilary Benn, who said: “The public would find it very hard to understand if we got a pay rise when they are not getting a pay rise and that is why we will support the motion.” Labour MP John Mann (Bassetlaw) said he was against MPs having to vote on their own salaries, insisting that “the principle of Members’ salaries should be set by a body entirely independent of Parliament”. He said: “Having been through the pain (of the expenses scandal), but the pain is not over, having been through that, having eventually determined that we should determine our own pay, having agreed the principle, we suddenly get back to where we started. MPs’ expenses House of Commons Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 21, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.