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How much? MPs facing backlash for 3.1 percent pay rise taking wages to £82k


Politicians’ salaries will sky rocket by £2,000 from April next year, after an announcement was made this afternoon. The increase, well above the 1.5 percent rate of CPI inflation, comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson showered praise on the new MPs, adding they were already a “vast improvement” from the previous bunch. But the rise comes less than five years after the expenses scandal, a matter the general public is yet to forget.

The new 3.1 percent figure was calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which is responsible for the salaries of MPs, is expected to confirm the figure in the new year.

The ONS system has been criticised for its inclusion of promotions and bonuses however.

The figure comes after a 2.7 percent rise earlier in the year, a 1.8 percent surge in 2018, a 1.4 percent rise the year before and a 1.3 percent spike in 2016.

There was also a massive hike from the average MP pay of £67,000 to £74,000 in July of 2015.

It comes after the UK’s youngsters MP, Nadia Whittome, 23, pledged to only take home £35,000 of her massive pay packet.

The new Labour MP for Nottingham East argued this was the average workers’ pay and pledged to donate the remainder to charities in her constituency.

She took her seat from Change UK last week.

She said: “It’s not about philanthropy and it’s not that MPs don’t deserve that salary, it’s the fact our teaching assistants, nurses and firefighters do as well.

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Other high profile MPs also resigned included Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, Minister for Employment Tony McNulty.

As a result of the six-week long publication, seven parliamentarians were also sent to jail for false accounting.

The outrage from the public was severe especially as this occurred just one year after the 2008 financial crash and many families were still feeling the economic strain.

The scandal was made worse in the eyes of ordinary people after MPs were found to be claiming money back for things completely unrelated to their parliamentary activity.

Some of the MPs shamed included John Prescott who claimed £112.52 for a toilet seat, Michael Gove who asked for £134.50 for elephant lamps and Sir Peter Viggers who claimed £1,645 for a Duck pond island.

In 2008 Conservative MP Mark Lancaster flew business class to Bangkok with the British Council for a two-day conference, at a cost of £5,018.

Labour MP Sally Keeble flew out economy class and returned business class at a cost of £2,452.



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