Sam Ashworth-Hayes Sam Ashworth-Hayes

Why our MPs deserve a pay rise

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Are MPs underpaid? Yes, according to Sir Peter Bottomley, who declared that life on an MP’s salary of £82,000 can be ‘really grim’. In saying so, Bottomley succeeded in uniting his fellow MPs – who would rather not have to deal with a further round of anger at their pay and conditions – and the general public – who resent having to pay for their elected lords and masters in the first place. But the furious backlash doesn’t mean Bottomley isn’t right.

In Parliament, as anywhere else, you get what you pay for. If we want a better class of MP, it’s time to splash the cash. Not everyone sees it this way, of course. An unnamed ‘senior Government source’ sniped that Bottomley’s suggestion was ‘totally out of touch with reality and does not reflect Conservative views or values’.

But while the news cycle has moved on and the anger died down, the problem Bottomley identified remains.

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