To think MPs are underpaid

[Donotpanicoknowpanic]

Okay hear me out on this

If you want high quality people you need to pay them

If not the best most intelligent people will pursue career's in business and we will be left with people making second rate decisions which are incredibly important for the UK

The UK needs to make the right decisions on a whole host of important topics (not just the NHS and benefits)

But policy's on AI, transitions to green energy encouraging businesses to invest in the UK etc

These are serious topics that require a vast knowledge to understand

If you want to encourage people who have that knowledge to be an MP and help make those decisions

You need to pay them the rate they would get from businesses who also want them

(I am not an MP and will never run as one so no one please say I'm trying to get a pay rise)

Pay more and ban most second jobs, anything that would vaguely benefit from lobbying govt.

They are not at all badly paid they get 2.5 times the median uk income. They are very wealthy. They can get more than their basic mp salary in various ways if they feel the need of more. They don't need to be particularly intelligent or knowledgeable and a lot of them aren't. They have the advice of actually knowledgeable and qualified Civil Servants when they need to actually make decisions if they have a ministerial role. Those who don't have a ministerial role very rarely have to make decisions they just show up and vite in the way their party whip tells them. The actual skills and experience needed to be a good ordinary backbench mp are not ones that would command a salary that high in any other sector. Ministerial level roles are more similar to highly paid senior roles and get paid significantly more (about 4.2 times the uk median salary) plus the likeihood that having been a minister they will have their pick of as many as they wish of cushy director roles that pay them £60kpa for attending 4 meetings per year once they are out of office.

I think they should receive an amount that means they don’t have to claim massive amounts for expenses. I’m ok with a second home allowance for those who live a given distance from their constituency but this should be a fixed amount - the same for all of them

I know an MP, they work so hard - 12+ hours a day, 6-7 days a week. They need a second home and travel allowance to be able to be able to split their time between their constituency and Westminster. London accommodation is expensive.

Not all MPs are equal though - some do the bare minimum. I wouldn’t have thought they had time for a second job.

It isn't a popular viewpoint but I agree the wage is low.

I would prefer to pay more, tighten expenses and limit second jobs.

@Happyher the second home allowance is for those whose constituencies are a distance from Westminster. They're meant to live in their constituency.

Maybe they should treat it like a military job, put them up in blocks in London for their London business for their second home, there will be a risk of Legionaires, but it'll be cheap so they should be grateful

Yes - and that's the issue. It attracts people who are motivated by maxing out the other benefits, especially in relation to their other businesses.

It doesn't motivate people who are ready to do a good work for a good money.

If it's such a shit paid job then why on earth do any of them go for it?

If it's such a shit paid job then why on earth do any of them go for it?

Do you really have to ask? Do you really think Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg were there for the salary?

I completely agree. How do they expect to get talented people when a middle manager at a small bank gets paid more 🤦‍♀️

it’s not even a secure job. That’s why the system encourages those form wealthy families to go into politics - they don’t need the cash.

You’re absolutely right.

The calibre of people if parliament is so low that you would not pay these morons to clean out your shed. It almost like the job attracts a certain kind of cretin. Often corrupt, in it for what they can steal. Many times just thick as two short planks. And mostly lowering the bar.

Honestly, no other profession attracts such a low standard of candidate.

No self respecting business leader, entrepreneur or successful person enters the profession unless they want to steal from the public.

Until these people are paid better and required to have real life business experience, we’ll continue to get these type of people.

You can earn much more in banking (edit financial services more accurately), law, and a very few tech positions. Top graduates are waaay over £100k

If they want an increase in pay then they should actually be in the chamber more, they very often don't sit on Mondays or Fridays & if they do they don't start until 2.30 on the Monday & are finished by 2.30 on the Friday, half the time the benches are nearly empty. Years ago they were still sitting until late in the evening.

I think the system is just fucked overall tbh. I don't know how you'd do it fairly.

But I do think we need the brightest people leading the country. And I can't see many bright, top-of-the-class grads giving up 6 figures right out of uni, to pick a career that MIGHT pay £91k, somewhere down the line.

OP, you have asked this question on MN. Where anyone earning more than 50p a week is rich and grabbby if they want more. This ‘make a chicken last a full month’ forum. Being smart and aspirational, judging on performance and output is not accepted around here. Everyone should be poor and grateful for it.

God no. They're on roughly x 3 the average household income. Plus its supposed to be a vocation...public service....not what you can get.

Anyone who thinks they are underpaid needs to check their privilege. You don't want people who lack awareness about those they represent.

@Willyoujustbequiet but how do you tackle the issue that they end up with people like Boris and Rishi who don't need the money, they are not there for public service, they are so far removed from most of the electorate, they push their own elite agenda.

Fuck off
I'll carry on doing my job being an ex teacher supporting young adults with learning disabilities to achieve something of their days
On minimum wage as that's all they get in dla.

Hugely overpaid you mean...!

I agree and tbh I don't know

Make it a requirement to live in their constituency? Might be a start.

Make it a requirement to live in their constituency? Might be a start.

Indeed, I live in a very working class area and I don't think any of our MPs have ever lived in the town...

I agree with the people who said that MPs should not have second jobs, being an MP should be a full time career

Also how you become an MP to start with should be better as well to attract better people

Realistically you want a range of MPs so working parents as well

For them as much as possible you want a system where they also spend some of there time with there family

Perhaps even for some parliamentary debates that are less important online meetings could be held more that are part of the main parliamentarians debate

I think they should be paid double. They should also get travel expenses.

That's it! No expenses. No second jobs or dodgy money from companies. Pay them well and expect them to work full time for the country.