AIBU to be surprised by MPs earning £98k plus expenses?

You don’t think they’re busy? Under scrutiny the whole time literally putting their safety at risk? Work anti social hours? Need to find a solution to everything?
Yeah let’s pay them minimum wage.

There's more to the job than going to the House of Commons once a week to heckle the opposing party during Prime Minister's Questions. Although it might seem like that, as that's the only bit you see on the news.

Trying watching some of BBC Parliament - it restores your faith in MPs when you see them on Select Committees, putting aside their party differences and questioning attendees for the public good rather than trying to score political points.

The vast majority of employees public and private sector get their expenses covered.

Honestly I don’t think they get paid enough. You’d earn a lot more with a lot less hastle in any mid management position

I don't think it's nearly enough to attract the best brains.

DH had political ambition. By the time he was 35/6 he was earning far more than an MP. We have friends who have been MPs. It's physically and mentally exhausting, has a huge impact on family life, and imagine wanting to pop to the sgops and being continually recognised, being stalked, etc.

Most MPs don’t scrutinise legislation as they don’t understand it. Similarly the contribution to debates and committees work is limited

That leaves constituency work, which they do spend a great deal of time on.

And that is the problem, their primary job is as legislators. They can’t do that (as often they are too thick) and so they end up being glorified social workers, trying to sort out their constituents problems … some of which are ridiculous.

Not worth 100k plus another 50-75 in “expenses” for a close family member.

IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) will actually not pay out for tea bags.
You can claim to equip your office with a kettle- but not for the teabags that go with it.

What would you want for being away from home 4-5 nights a week?

It's not that high for a professional in the private sector working in London.

Expenses are to cover the fact they are required to be away from home for a few nights a week. I agree some of them took the piss before but the concept is the same as in a job - if my job needed me to be in Edinburgh for three nights a week, they would pay for me to rent a flat there.

So yes it's a lot more than the average person earns but in the context of London professional roles, it's not that high.

A headteacher of a large secondary school will be on a higher salary.
A full time GP will be.
I am on a bit higher and I'm middle management.

Yanbu

Everyone seems to have forgotten

Both my husband and I earn significantly more than that - I have no degree, he didn’t finish his A levels. And we have a certain level of job security! No one high achieving is pursuing a career in politics with salary in mind.

I worked on Whitehall in close contact with MPs for a decade. Wild horses couldn’t get me to do the job. It’s no walk in the park.

I don’t think it’s enough actually. It won’t attract the best people. And we certainly don’t have those so….maybe if we paid more we’d get good people.

You thought someone would be an MP for £50k??

I get paid more for a job with less responsibility so I don’t think it’s unreasonable.

If anything, I think it’s uncompetitive. Salaries should attract the best candidates. Maybe that’s where Westminster goes wrong.

I think it’s reasonable actually for those that work hard. My MP is pretty decent, vice leader of her party, fairly high profile- particularly in the local community.

I used to work for an MP.

Its a well paid job for sure. And it will feel like a very well paid job if they've come to from being a local councillor, as many will have.

The expenses thing is a little misleading though.
Its mostly either travel costs (unavoidable given that constituencies are all over the country)
Or its for the costs of running an office.

My MP's expenses covered the wages of 5 different people (including me), they weren't spending it on themselves!

It annoys me that they get expenses as well as a massive wage. Every other public sector work has to take their own tea bags and milk into work if they want a cup of tea

Yep and the PMs salary is around £170k I think. It’s not a lot imo!

I guess it means the people that become MPs do it because they really want to, rather than just for the pay. But I do wonder if the calibre of candidates would be better if the pay was better.

Well if you pay peanuts you get monkeys I suppose. It’s a similar if not lower pay than the equivalent person in private industry. Not saying they all deserve it, but I wouldn’t do their job for any money!

It was 60K not that long ago. If only everyone else got above inflation pay rises!

They don’t just do constituency work though. They sit on committees, debate, scrutinise bills.

Similar pay to a senior manager at a ftse100 but you could get chucked out at any moment without redundancy and it puts you and your family under way more scrutiny. Why would anyone decent bother?