MPs to receive pay rise of £2,464 - bringing basic annual salary to £81,932

MPs are to receive a pay rise of £2,464 from April this year, bringing their their annual basic salary to £81,932, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has announced.

The cash boost, which increases their current salary of £79,468 by 3.1%, will be effective from April 1.

Since 2010 MPs wages have increased by a huge £16,194 - at the start of the decade they were paid £65,738 a year.

It comes just days after an increase in the pay of MPs' staff was recommended to bring their salaries in line with comparable roles outside the Commons.

A £19.7 million staffing budget increase was recommended by expenses watchdog Ipsa, and agreed by the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Scipsa).

It means each of the 650 MPs will receive a budget increase of 13.1% (£21,900) for staff in London and 13.9% (£21,600) for staff outside the capital.

The latest pay rise for MPs follows a decision confirmed in 2018 by IPSA to adjust the pay of MPs at the same rate as public sector earnings, which are published by the Office of National Statistics.

IPSA interim chair Richard Lloyd said: "Our review of MPs' staffing budgets in 2019 found demands on MPs' offices were high, with staff doing difficult and stressful casework with constituents on a very wide range of problems."There was often high staff turnover, with salary levels below comparable roles elsewhere, based on independent benchmarked evidence.

"In many MPs' offices, relatively little time or money was spent on staff training, wellbeing and development.

"As a result, we have provided additional funding in MPs' 2020-21 staffing budgets for staff training and welfare, security, and changes to the salary bands and job descriptions for MPs' staff to bring them into line with the jobs they actually do."