MP says 9% pay rise is not justified
Tom Greatrex MP says a proposed increase in MP’s pay is not justified.
The issue hit the headlines this week when Marcial Boo, chief executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), said MP’s should get a nine per cent pay rise.
Mr Boo said in an interview with a Sunday newspaper that MPs did an important job and should not be paid “a miserly amount” for their services.
The statement has been met with widespread condemnation among politicians, many of whom remain sceptical the proposed rise will happen.
MP’s aren’t allowed to vote on their own pay and won’t be able to prevent any rise becoming law.
Mr Greatrex said:“It is entirely right that the pay of MPs – and MSPs whose salaries have been linked to MPs – is not decided by MPs.
“I do not think it is good for democracy for representatives in Parliament to vote on their own pay, and so support pay being decided by an independent body.
“However, I simply do not see how it can be justifiable for the pay of MPs or MSPs to increase now while many public sector workers have had a one per cent or equivalent rise in recent years.
“Ideally MPs pay should be linked to equivalent other public sector groups and go up in line with those salaries, and not set arbitrarily. These proposals would not apply until after the general election, and there will be another review in 2015 before any final proposals are suggested, so IPSA still have time to come to a more justifiable conclusion.”