MPs to get a payrise from April 1 taking salaries to over £86,000

MPs will be awarded a more than £2,000 pay increase as Britain is facing the worst industrial action in decades.

Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons in London (Picture: Reuters)© Provided by Metro

Basic pay for all members of Parliament will go up by 2.9%, bringing their overall salary from £84,144 to £86,584 – a move likely to spark outrage given the cost of living crisis.

Underpinning this is the growing support for the nearly half a million workers in the NHS, rail, education and civil services who are striking.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which sets MPs’ pay, confirmed this will take effect from April 1.

It said that the increase would be the same as the average rise for public sector staff last year.

Chairman Richard Lloyd said: ‘In confirming MPs’ pay for next year, we have once again considered very carefully the extremely difficult economic circumstances, the government’s evolving approach to public sector pay in the light of forecasted rates of inflation, and the principle that MPs’ pay should be reflective of their responsibility in our democracy. 

Last year, Labour leader Keir Starmer spoke out against the payrises (Picture: AP)© Provided by Metro

‘Our aim is to ensure that pay is fair for MPs, regardless of their financial circumstances, to support the most diverse of parliaments.

‘Serving as an MP should not be the preserve of those wealthy enough to fund it themselves.

‘It is important for our democracy that people from any background should see representing their communities in Parliament as a possibility.’

This follows yet another similar increase in March last year, after a two-year freeze in the wake of the pandemic.

Ipsa was created in 2009, largely as a response to the MPs’ expenses scandal, in a bid to make the payments more transparent and reach independent decisions on salaries.