Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Quick! MP's need a Salary increase

128 replies

Porfre · 07/10/2021 07:03

According to long serving Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley, his colleagues are suffering.

They're finding it difficult to survive on their MP salary of £82,000.

They need a Salary increase to £100,000, because of all their hard work.

How can you argue with that?

YABU- They dont deserve a salary increase.
YANBU - Of course their salary should be increased!

OP posts:
mewkins · 07/10/2021 13:30

@bizboz

County, District, Town and parish councillors are all unpaid and there is never a shortage of those willing to put themselves forward.

I'm surprised to hear that. I am a member of a political party and the local branch is always begging people to put themselves forward for these roles. The role of MP attracts a lot more public and media attention too, which I imagine puts some people off.

Maybe that is dependent on location then.
angstridden2 · 07/10/2021 13:35

Was involved in politics for a while and there was never a shortage of people applying to be the local Parliamentary Candidate in a winnable seat. Most of them were both well qualified and able. The ‘low’ remuneration doesn’t seem to put people off.

MsTSwift · 07/10/2021 13:39

The couple we know who want to be MPs are passionate about good works etc they will take a pay cut if they make it as MPs. They are to be fair good people who could earn way more doing other jobs like their peers. Find it hard to slag people like that off tbh.

Motherdare · 07/10/2021 13:42

If the salary went up, it might attract a better calibre of candidate, which would benefit us all. I think there’s a real lack of intellect from many MPs who seem to have won the vote by shouting the loudest with a populist agenda.

mikedyson · 07/10/2021 13:53

@Motherdare

If the salary went up, it might attract a better calibre of candidate, which would benefit us all. I think there’s a real lack of intellect from many MPs who seem to have won the vote by shouting the loudest with a populist agenda.
They have to get elected somehow - we have a great track record of sidelining anyone who seems to have any intellectual depth.
AtillatheHun · 07/10/2021 13:56

There are quite a few MPs pulling down two public sector salaries as doctors / nurses and MPs. Worth checking the register of interests in Theyworkforyou.com to see what some of them are actually pulling in (and it’s not just the rotors you need to keep an eye on )

AtillatheHun · 07/10/2021 13:57

Councillors are sometimes paid - one Labour MP was drawing a salary as an MP, a doctor AND a councillor simultaneously.

BitterTits · 07/10/2021 13:59

It made me laugh that they claim 2.5 dependant children - in their fucking 50s! Cheeky bastards.

SusieBob · 07/10/2021 14:06

I'd love to know what my (tory) mp actually fucking does for his 80k, given he is never actually in his office and can't be arsed to answer any form of communication.

He's also a massive twat who voted for Brexit despite publically stating that it has no benefits to young people and took the piss out of people on twitter who were concerned about heavy rain in an area highly prone to flooding.

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 07/10/2021 14:10

So incredibly tone deaf.

I do think MPs should be paid a fair wage for the work that they do, and that if we'd done that the expenses scandal may not have been an issue, but right now, against a background of the Universal Credit cut and increase in National Insurance. They can fuck right off and "share the pain" or quit and retrain as an HGV driver.

Treats · 07/10/2021 14:18

MPs all get the same salary, with only a small uplift for London MPs, but average incomes vary wildly across the country, so while £82k would be a lot in some parts of the country, it's not so significant in London. They have to pay for mortgages, food and bills out of that, just like everyone else. MPs have to spend most of the week in Parliament, which sits until late, so many of them have prodigious childcare bills as well - unless they have a non-earning partner who can look after them.

MPs from outside London can claim for the cost of travelling between their constituency and Westminster and can claim the costs of accommodation in London. Since the rules were changed in 2009, they can only claim for flat rental or hotel accommodation, so no more mortgage repayments. London MPs don't get travel or accommodation - they're regarded as commuters, just like their constituents.

Food on the estate is subsidised, but that's as much for the benefit of Parliamentary workers like clerks, cleaners and police officers as it is for the MPs. Late sittings mean that people don't have many other options for places to eat.

It certainly used to be the case that MPs routinely had outside interests, but being a constituency MP is pretty much a full time job now - much more so for those in marginal constituences than those with big majorities. A reasonable salary is essential if the role is to be accessible to the widest possible number of people.

I don't think the salary is that great for Londoners, but probably not so bad for those from elsewhere, especially where housing and childcare costs are much lower.

Also remember that only about 120 MPs at a time get to be ministers or committee chairs and qualify for the additional salaries. The vast majority will be stuck on the backbencher salary, regardless of how long they spend in Parliament or how much better they are at doing their job than other MPs.

InteriorDesignHell · 07/10/2021 14:19

SirSamuelVines is right, and, it's more than just pay. Being an MP is a terrible job. Do people in the HoC act like professionals? No. Baboons would be ashamed. Are the hours sensible? Not at all.
Make being an MP more like being a solicitor, barrister or consultant, enforce civil behavior at all times, make the hours sane, offer extra money for relevant professional experience - less of this going into politics never having done a useful job - and offer professional development while being an MP. And maybe we'll be less averse to paying more...

CounsellorTroi · 07/10/2021 14:28

They already have ample coverage for the requirement to have second homes - and indeed, unlike any other public servant (and that's what they are, they exist to serve their constituents), they can make personal profit from that.

No they can’t. They can claim expenses for renting a second home but not for mortgage if they are buying one.

CorrBlimeyGG · 07/10/2021 14:37

Councillors are sometimes paid - one Labour MP was drawing a salary as an MP, a doctor AND a councillor simultaneously.

Rosena Allin-Khan? If so, she works occasional A&E shifts. That's a good thing, the best way to understand what is happening in the NHS is to work in it. She served out the rest of her term as Councillor as she was elected as MP two years after being elected as my MP. She may have received an allowance if she was a portfolio holder, but it's certainly not a salary.

Not sure if you genuinely didn't know that or are wilfully posting misinformation.

CorrBlimeyGG · 07/10/2021 14:38

Scrub out 'as my MP', not sure where that came from!

AtillatheHun · 07/10/2021 14:40

@Treats - tell that to the London MP who claimed £1k last year for parking within their own constituency, which they live in (and guess what - it’s the same one that was claiming three public sector wages at once as mp, dr and councillor. And who clearly thinks that’s not enough as they also charge thousands for public speaking, journalism and form filling for insurance companies)

KaptainKaveman · 07/10/2021 14:41

@LawnFever

They can fuck off Angry
100% this.

It's a lot more than £85 k (or whatever) once you factor in their allowances, second homes, travel costs etc etc....

Peter Bottomley is a toffee-nosed out of touch twat. he should be cast off into a field where he can nibble the turf into his twilight years. Wanker.

CorrBlimeyGG · 07/10/2021 14:41

If you want an example of an MP really playing the system, loom at Ben Bradley, Conservative MP for Mansfield. As well as being an MP and a councillor, he is council leader! The position of council leader should be a full time role, he gets a £50K salary for it.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9564195/Tory-MP-picks-second-job-50k-pay-rise.html

Treats · 07/10/2021 14:52

My personal feeling is that MPs should be able to claim for out of pocket expenses for the costs of doing their job in the same way as anyone else can. I don't know if £1k a year is a lot for parking, but if they could claim the same expenses if they were working as - say - a community nurse, then I don't think it's unreasonable.

Councillors don't get paid - they get expenses, unless they're doing a portfolio role. Most councils only pay them for the direct costs of attending, so you wouldn't receive the money if you didn't put the time in. So, again, I think it's fair enough. Whether or not you should be able to be a councillor and an MP is a separate question - most MPs resign their council seats when they get elected to Parliament, but there's nothing to stop them carrying on - the electorate will tell them soon enough if they think it's acceptable.

I agree with @CorrBlimeyGG - if someone is receiving a payment for delivering a professional service that doesn't conflict with their work as an MP, why shouldn't they be paid for it? Nobody would expect anyone to work as a doctor for free.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 07/10/2021 14:57

Why shouldn't MP be a vocation

For some, it genuinely is - or at least it starts out that way, with them genuinely wanting to make a difference
Trouble is, once in, they find integrity's a luxury they can't afford; it becomes the party above all else, and the rest follows from there

NoMoreUCForMe · 07/10/2021 14:58

£82 is more money than my DDs primary headteacher earns for much less responsibility. If anyone deserves a pay increase its teachers.

NoMoreUCForMe · 07/10/2021 14:58

@NoMoreUCForMe

£82 is more money than my DDs primary headteacher earns for much less responsibility. If anyone deserves a pay increase its teachers.
Obviously I mean £82k
Snoozer11 · 07/10/2021 15:02

The man who said this is old and married!

He doesn't have a student loan, has been able to buy property when they weren't extortionate and benefits from being married tax-wise.

How dare he!

Snoozer11 · 07/10/2021 15:03

@NoMoreUCForMe

£82 is more money than my DDs primary headteacher earns for much less responsibility. If anyone deserves a pay increase its teachers.
I can think of many professionals who "deserve" a pay rise more than teachers.

Why does it always come back to teachers?

CatKittyCatCatKittyCatCat · 07/10/2021 15:12

Think the whole structure needs to be overhauled.

No second jobs or advisory roles.

A pay scale that gives progression with age/experience. That could be linked to civil service grades, pay for doctors or average salaries in a profession like law or accountancy.

It needs to be both good value for the public purse and sufficient to attract people of good calibre regardless of their economic background.

I do also think there should be state owned London housing for MPs rather than second home allowances.

It would be a good investment for the country to have a portfolio of say 700-1000 properties in London (either of different sizes to account for different family needs or something like a standard 2 bed size so the fact that it’s a temporary rather than a main home is put into practice).

Swipe left for the next trending thread