MPs have received almost double the figure they handed to NHS workers earlier this year.
MPs have been handed almost double the pay rise of most nurses and other NHS workers in England.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which sets pay for MPs, has confirmed that from April their salary will rise from £84,144 to £86,584.
A rise of £2,440 – almost double the figure they handed to NHS workers earlier this year.
Rather than a fixed percentage rise, the government announced that NHS workers would see a rise of £1,400 annually across the board.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claims the value of salaries for experienced nurses today are 20% lower in real terms due to successive below-inflation pay awards since 2010.
Since 2010, the pay of an experienced frontline nurse has risen by just £5,400 while MPs received a staggering £20,846 in the same period.
Extremely difficult economic circumstances.
The IPSA claims it balanced the “extremely difficult economic circumstances” with the “responsibility” of the role.
Announcing the rise, Richard Lloyd, Ipsa’s chairman, said: “In confirming MPs’ pay for next year, we have once again considered very carefully the extremely difficult economic circumstances, the Government’s evolving approach to public sector pay in the light of forecasted rates of inflation, and the principle that MPs’ pay should be reflective of their responsibility in our democracy.
Mr Lloyd explained, “Our aim is to ensure that pay is fair for MPs, regardless of their financial circumstances, to support the most diverse of parliaments.
“Serving as an MP should not be the preserve of those wealthy enough to fund it themselves. It is important for our democracy that people from any background should see representing their communities in Parliament as a possibility.”
NHS staff continue with their campaign for an above-inflation pay rise.
