Sussex MP’s ‘grim’ salary remark leads to criticism
Could MPs’ pay deter some from standing?
A West Sussex MP sparked outrage in some quarters last week after claiming it was ‘desperatelydifficult’fornewer parliamentarians to get by on their £81,932 a year salary.
In an interview with the New Statesman, Worthing West MP Sir Peter Bottomley suggested being elected was the ‘greatest honour you could have, but a general practitioner in politics ought to be paid roughly the same as a general practitioner in medicine’.
The article stated an average GP salary in England was £100,700, while an MP was paid £81,932 a year.
Sir Peter argued doctors were ‘paid far too little today’, but if they would get roughly £100,000 the equivalent for an MP to have the same standard of living would be between £110,000 and £115,000.
And while he personally does not suffer financial strain, he believes the situation is ‘desperatelydifficult’fornewer colleagues. He said: “I don’t know how they manage. It’s really grim.”
Sir Peter’s comments, after being published on the New Statesman’s website last Tuesday, sparked a wave of criticism on social media and from opposition MPs. The interview also prompted numerous national headlines led on his ‘grim’ quote.
But he later clarified his comments on LBC, saying: “Should there be a pay increase now? The answer is no and I’m on the record repeatedly saying never change the pay of MPs in between elections. Set the pay at a general election and stick to that until you have another general election.”
And he told this newspaper group that while it was fine to have people who are retired and could live on a lower income in Parliament, he gave examples such as a local police commander, head of a sixth form or manager of a pharmaceutical business and asked if it was right if people in these sorts of professions should sacrifice a significant proportion of their income to become MPs.
He argued that to encourage people into Parliament, they had to make conditions such that they could do so without having to worry about money too much.
The comments come as the Conservative government has stopped the £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit and households are also faced with the prospect of soaring energy bills.
Sir Peter said MPs and their teams are fully aware of the struggles faced by those in ‘troublesome circumstances’, both in normal times and during the pandemic, and spent their time trying to make these people’s lives better.
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A new street market, showcasing the best products from across the district, is coming to Chichester.
The Cross Market & More will feature local designers and producers.
The first event will take place in North Street and East Street, from 10am to 3pm, on Sunday, November 7.
The destination market has been organised by Chichester District Council following an increased demand for more varied types of markets across the district, as a result of the council’s first ever events strategy, which was published last year.