Gosport MP Joins Call to Block MP Pay Rise
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has added her name to a joint letter urging the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to scrap plans for a pay rise for MPs.
IPSA Proposes MP Salary Increase Amid Public Spending Crunch
IPSA, the watchdog in charge of MPs’ pay, pensions, and expenses, has proposed a salary hike as part of its routine review during the first year of Parliament. But with public finances still tight following the COVID-19 crisis, many are outcrying against the pay bump.
Conservative MPs Lead the Charge Against Pay Rise
The letter, penned by Bishop Auckland Tory Dehenna Davison, calls the planned pay rise “neither appropriate nor justifiable” at this tough financial time. Caroline Dinenage echoed that sentiment, saying:
“I’m pleased to support this letter and I entirely agree this is not the time to give MPs a pay rise. MPs pay is linked to the public sector so it is unlikely to go ahead, however I have signed this letter to encourage IPSA, the independent pay body, not to proceed with the increase.”
PM Freezes Ministerial Pay but Cannot Block MPs’ Salary Hike
During Prime Minister’s Questions today, the PM voiced clear opposition to the MPs’ pay rise. While he cannot directly block it, the PM has frozen ministerial pay for the next financial year as a show of fiscal restraint.
