MPs have been accused of double standards after it emerged they are in line for a pay rise of more than £1,000 next year.
They are expected to be given an increase of 1.4 per cent on their current £75,000 salary, well above the 1 per cent cap on salaries that the government imposed on other public sector workers, including nurses, teachers and police officers.
The above-inflation increase will kick in from April next year and take their pay to £76,011. The rise is based on the annual change in average weekly earnings across the public sector, which has been officially calculated to be 1.4 per cent.
Public sector unions reacted angrily to the proposed increase, which comes when nurses are waging a campaign to see the 1 per cent cap lifted to help them cope with the rising cost of living.
The final increase will be confirmed in February, but is unlikely to change. It comes after a 1.3 per cent rise in MPs’ salaries this year, which came after a controversial 10 per cent jump from £67,000 to £74,000 a year.
Advertisement
MPs no longer set their own pay, which is now controlled by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) to deal with complaints that it was wrong for parliamentarians to be involved in their own remuneration. Ministerial salaries, which are controlled by the government, have been frozen until the end of the decade.
An Ipsa spokesman said the pay increase would be confirmed in February.
The proposed rise angered public sector unions, whose members have suffered from a pay clampdown since 2010.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: “MPs should feel uncomfortable that their pay rise is higher than that awarded to nurses, teaching assistants and care workers this year.
“Millions of families are experiencing real financial hardship because the government has held down or frozen pay for years.
Advertisement
“If there is to be a limit on public sector pay it should apply to everyone. It’s time ministers lifted the pay cap and gave all public service employees a decent wage rise.”
A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union said: “Wage rises shouldn’t just be for MPs, all workers deserve them. That’s why we’ve repeatedly called for the public sector pay cap to end and for private firms to pay their staff a living wage.”
It comes with MPs already facing a possible clampdown on their incomes, with potential curbs on taking second jobs. Some MPs act as consultants, barristers and even work as dentists.
A review by the Commons standards commissioner is examining whether the rules concerning second jobs should be tightened.