MPs from across the country are set to receive a £7,000 pay rise in the upcoming months; a ten percent increase from their current salaries, going from £67,060 a year to £74,000.
Despite re-elected Prime Minister, David Cameron’s insistence that the pay rise would be ‘unacceptable’ the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) have decided to go ahead with the plan which they initially proposed in 2013, following a survey which revealed that two out of three MPs felt that they were underpaid.
“In December 2013 we reached a decision that, there should be a package of changes, including pension reform, ending resettlement payments and increasing MP’s pay to £74,000,” a spokesperson for IPSA, which was established following the expense scandal in 2009, said.
“The overall package will add no extra cost to the taxpayer. The pay rise was not implemented immediately.
“Any subsequent pay rise would be back-dated to 8 May 2015. IPSA was created by law to determine MPs’ pay independent of Parliament and government.”
In 2013, all three major party leaders, spoke out against pay increase, especially in light of the then expense scandal. This rejection has largely been ignored, and, the increase in pay, which will begin in a few months’ time, will be back dated to the day after the general election and will include newly elected MPs.
“To press ahead with a 10 per cent pay rise is not only putting two fingers up at voters, but it starkly contradicts the pay restraint required elsewhere in the public sector if the government is to balance the nation’s books,” Tax Payer’s Alliance chief told The Telegraph.
“This inefficient bureaucratic monster of a quango has repeatedly failed to deliver taxpayer value and if primary legislation is required to overturn its pronouncement on MPs’ pay and reform its processes, then it should be introduced in the Queen’s speech”.
Several MPs have said that they will donate their money to charity while others have called for Ipsa to close down.
