MPs’ pay soars to £82,000
A TUNNEL linking Scotland and Northern Ireland is now Boris Johnson’s preferred option instead of a bridge, it emerged yesterday.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said they are both in favour of examining an ambitious 28-mile underwater link that would be cheaper than a £20billion sea crossing.
He also said a bridge over the Irish Sea would have to shut for up to 100 days a year because of high winds.
Mr Jack told Scottish parliament MPs in Edinburgh: “I would think that 2030 would be quite achievable. Since the days of the Channel Tunnel, costs have come down and techniques have improved dramatically.
“It’s not about whether you would be able to do it, it’s about how quickly you can do it.”
The PM had looked at a bridge between Portpatrick and Larne, similar to one built between Sweden and
salary bands and job descriptions for MPs’ staff to bring them into line with the jobs they actually do.”
Downing Street officials said salaries for Government ministers, which come on top of their MPs’ pay, have been frozen since 2010.
Asked about the latest hike, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “This is a decision for Ipsa, which is independent of Parliament.”
Cabinet Office figures show in 2019 the Prime Minister was entitled to a second salary of £79,286, while senior ministers including the Chancellor and Secretaries of State
Denmark. Last month he commissioned a study to examine the plan. But Mr Jack said they were now both on the “same page” over a tunnel.
Mr Jack said he understood Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster was “very enthusiastic” about the idea, which would be similar in length to the 31.4-mile Channel Tunnel but shorter than much longer tunnels in China.
He added: “It’s no different to the tunnels connecting the Faroes, it’s not different to those underneath the fjords. Tunnelling techniques now are quite advanced and certainly to go from south-west Scotland to Northern
were entitled to up to £71,090. The Attorney General, currently Suella Braverman, is entitled to one of the highest salaries in government, set at £98,921 in April 2019.
Figures in December last year showed total earnings rose 2.9 per cent, the ONS said – slower growth than was seen in the rest of 2019.
Meanwhile, new analysis showed the typical council tax bill in England is set to increase by £64.65, or 3.7 per cent, for 2020/21.
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, which carried out the research, said that while
Ireland would be less expensive.” A Downing Street spokesman last night confirmed that a tunnel crossing was being studied by officials.
Dumfries and Galloway MP Mr Jack said: “The Prime Minister is passionate about improving connectivity all across the UK. He has always been clear that we should be ambitious in our plans.”
But a spokesman for Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “It would be a gigantic undertaking which would cost many billions of pounds. Nobody has yet, from an engineering point of view, said ‘Yes, we agree this is feasible’.”
council tax bills have increased consistently every year since 2012, the most recent survey findings indicate a second year in a row with a lower increase than the year before.
The findings were based on council tax for a band D property. Of 306 local authorities across England which responded to questionnaires, 304 will be increasing their tax.
Councillor Richard Watts, chair of the Local Government Association’s resources board, said: “Faced with ongoing funding pressures such as homelessness and looking after vulnerable children, councils continue to be left with little choice but to ask residents to pay more to help them try and protect their local services.
“Councils in England face an overall funding gap of almost £6.5billion by 2025 just to cover basic inflationary and demographic pressures.
“Council tax income cannot be expected to plug the growing funding gaps they face.
“The Budget and the Spending Review need to provide a sustainable, long-term funding settlement for councils which means they can improve services and not just keep them going.”