Latest news with #ParliamentaryStandardsAct
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MPs' pay to rise by 2.8% to £93,904 in April
MPs' salaries will rise by 2.8% to £93,904 in the next financial year, Parliament's expenses watchdog has confirmed. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) said the decision was in line with wider Government pay recommendations for public sector workers. Under the Parliamentary Standards Act, IPSA is required to review MPs' salaries by early July within the first year of a new parliament. The watchdog said it would hold a further consultation on the determination of MPs' pay for the rest of the current parliamentary term in the coming months. The increase takes an MP's salary to £93,904, up from £91,346, and is slightly below the current inflation rate of 3%. At the start of the last Parliament, in 2019, annual pay stood at £79,468. MPs do not determine their own salaries, which have been set by Ipsa since the watchdog was created in 2009 in the wake of the expenses scandal. Ipsa chairman Richard Lloyd said the body aims to 'make fair decisions on pay, both for MPs and the public' after the increase was first proposed in February. The watchdog is independent of Parliament and the Government and considers a range of metrics when deciding on pay, including national statistics on average earnings in the public sector and the wider economic climate. It comes ahead of the spring statement on Wednesday, in which the Chancellor is expected to announce spending cuts as she seeks to balance the books amid disappointing growth figures and higher-than-expected borrowing. Last year, the watchdog recommended an inflation-busting 5.5% increase to MPs' pay, lifting basic salaries to £91,346 from £86,584.
Telegraph
24-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
MPs' £2.5k pay rise faces backlash
The parliamentary watchdog is facing a backlash after handing MPs a pay rise of more than £2,500. On Monday, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) confirmed MPs' pay will go up by £2,558, a rise of 2.8 per cent. The increase is just below the 3 per cent inflation rate and means pay will reach £93,904, up from £91,346. MPs received £79,468 a year at the start of the previous parliament in 2019. IPSA has defended the decision, saying it recognised the 'vital' role of MPs, but the raise prompted anger amid rising living costs and billions of pounds of public spending cuts. Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, told The Telegraph: 'I did respond to the IPSA to make the case that there should be no rise and that MP pay should be cut. 'I am really not comfortable with MPs getting more when so many people are struggling. Of course it will go to charitable organisations who are struggling too.' 'MPs' pay should be tied to GDP' The backlash extended across the political spectrum. John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Taxpayers will be frustrated that while their own income is squeezed, MPs will face no such hardship. 'Despite overseeing a soaring tax burden and crumbling public services, Britain's politicians are once again being rewarded despite their litany of failures. ' MPs' pay should be tied to GDP per capita, so that their earnings rise only when the country prospers.' The Parliamentary Standards Act means IPSA must also conduct a wider review of MPs' salaries in the first year of a new parliament, meaning it had to act by early July at the latest. When the pay increase was first announced towards the start of February, Richard Lloyd, the chairman of IPSA, insisted it struck the right balance. Mr Lloyd said at the time: 'IPSA has been responsible for deciding MPs' pay since 2011. Since then, our aim has been to make fair decisions on pay, both for MPs and the public. 'Our pay proposal for 2025-26 reflects the experience of the wider working public sector population, and recognises both the vital role of MPs and the current economic climate.' IPSA is independent of the Government and takes into account a range of factors when it decides on how much to increase MPs' pay by. These include national statistics on pay and reward in the public sector as well as the wider economic backdrop. The watchdog admits on its website that MPs' pay is a 'contentious topic' but said it did enough research to decide on an 'appropriate' salary. 'MPs' salaries and pensions are the only remuneration MPs personally receive from us,' it said. 'Business costs – such as staffing and office costs – are provided to enable MPs to work from two locations and fully fulfil their parliamentary duties to support and represent their constituents.' Sir Peter Bottomley, the former Conservative MP for West Worthing, came under fire a few years ago when he suggested MPs should be paid the same as GPs – around £100,000.
The Independent
24-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
MPs' pay to rise by 2.8% to £93,904 in April
MPs' salaries will rise by 2.8% to £93,904 in the next financial year, Parliament's expenses watchdog has confirmed. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) said the decision was in line with wider Government pay recommendations for public sector workers. Under the Parliamentary Standards Act, IPSA is required to review MPs' salaries within the first year of a new parliament, by early July. The watchdog said it would hold a further consultation on the determination of MPs' pay for the rest of the current parliamentary term in the coming months.
Telegraph
10-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
MPs to be handed inflation-busting £2,558 pay rise
MPs are set to be handed an inflation-busting pay rise of £2,558. On Monday, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) announced that it was proposing to increase MPs' pay by 2.8 per cent in April subject to a consultation. If approved, the increase would take an MP's annual salary to £93,904, up from £91,346. At the start of the last Parliament, in 2019, MPs were paid £79,468. Ipsa said the proposal was in line with the Government's recommendations on a wider Richard Lloyd, the chairman of Ipsa, said the body aimed to 'make fair decisions on pay, both for MPs and the public'. He added: 'Our pay proposal for 2025/26 reflects the experience of the wider working public sector population, and recognises both the vital role of MPs and the current economic climate.' MPs do not determine their own salaries, which have been set by Ipsa since the watchdog was established in 2009 by the Parliamentary Standards Act in the wake of Ipsa is an independent body, which allows it to make decisions and consider a range of metrics when deciding on MPs' pay, including national statistics on pay and reward in the public sector, its own pay principles and the Ipsa will consult on its proposals until the end of this month, with a final decision published in mid-March. It is also carrying out a wider review of MPs' salaries, which it is obliged to do in the first year after an election. Last year, MPs' pay John O'Connell, the chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Taxpayers will be aghast at this inflation-busting pay rise for politicians. 'While households struggle to stay above water because of frozen thresholds, MPs are set to benefit further from the linking of their salaries to public sector pay. Elected officials should show restraint and only accept rises when conditions allow.'
