MPs to get £4,700 pay rise as basic Commons salaries surge above £91,000

14 March 2024 , 14:02

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MPs will see their annual salaries booster by 5.5% in April

MPs will be handed a 5.5% pay rise from April, boosting their basic salaries to above £91,000 a year.

The Westminster watchdog that sets MPs salaries confirmed today that Parliamentarians will get a £4,762 hike to the £86,584 basic salary. The 5.5% figure, which is in line with civil service pay awards, is above inflation which is running at 4%.

However it is lower than the expected 7.1%, which would have given MPs a pay rise of over £6,000. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said it had decided not to link the rise to changes in average public sector earnings in the October as it usually does - because this included exceptional payments made to lower paid frontline workers.

But it is still the biggest pay rise for MPs since this method was introduced in 2015. MPs had their wages frozen during the pandemic after an outcry at a proposed hike when other public sector workers had their wages frozen. But their salaries were boosted by £2,400 in April, taking their basic salary to more than £86,000-a-year.

Richard Lloyd, Chair of the Ipsa said: “IPSA has been responsible for deciding MPs’ pay since 2011. Since then, our aim has been to make fair decisions on pay, both for MPs and the public. Serving as an MP should not be reserved to those wealthy enough to fund it themselves.

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"We believe our decision recognises the vital role MPs play in our democracy and considers the continued economic challenges facing the country. We are committed to supporting a Parliament that reflects our society, where people from all walks of life can decide to become MPs.”

Ipsa said MPs salaries in the UK were lower than countries like the USA, Italy, Canada and Germany, where their equivalents receive more than £100,000 a year. It said politicians in Ireland receive the equivalent of £93,271 per year.

Ipsa was set up in 2011 following the public outrage over the MP expenses scandal.

Lizzy Buchan