The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has announced that MPs are to receive a £2,200 pay rise next month.
MPs will receive an increase of 2.7%, bringing the overall salary from £81,932 to £84,144 from 1 April 2022.
The independent body made the announcement today detailing MPs pay for the coming year. 2022-2023.
“MPs play a vital role in our democracy and this is reflected in their pay.“
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) Chair, Richard Lloyd
Both Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition have said that MPs should not receive a payrise this year in light of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
In October last year, Sir Keir Starmer told LBC Radio any extra money for MPs should be spent on key workers instead.
IPSA has decided that the annual adjustment to MPs’ basic pay for 2022-23 will be the same as the average increase in pay for public sector employees last year.
This is in line with the decision by IPSA in 2015 to adjust MPs’ pay at the same rate as changes in public sector earnings published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). It is the first increase in MPs pay for two years, as pay remained unchanged in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, IPSA’s Chair, Richard Lloyd said: “This is the first increase in pay for MPs in two years and follows the average of increases across the public sector last year. MPs play a vital role in our democracy and this is reflected in their pay. It is right that MPs are paid fairly for the responsibility and the unseen work they do helping their constituents, which dramatically increased last year. For Parliament to reflect society, it is vital that people from all walks of life can be an MP.”
IPSA has a legal duty to set MPs’ pay, independently of Parliament and government.