Keir Starmer attacks MPs’ inflation-busting pay rise, calling for money to go to key workers

‘That money, if it’s available, should be spent on key workers – those who have been on the frontline through this pandemic’

Keir Starmer has attacked the inflation-busting pay rise being handed to MPs, calling for the cash to go to key workers instead.

An independent watchdog has authorised a 4.1 per cent increase – hiking Commons’ salaries by about £3,300 to around £85,000 – but the Labour leader said the decision was wrong.

“This year of all years we shouldn’t have it,” Sir Keir said, adding: “That money, if it’s available, should be spent on key workers – those who have been on the frontline through this pandemic.”

Speaking on LBC Radio, he confirmed Labour would not vote against the 10pm pubs’ curfew – warning there would be nothing in its place if the measure was defeated.

And he ducked a call to endorse Joe Biden, saying no would-be prime minister should back any candidate in a foreign election, while making clear his horror at Donald Trump’s behaviour.

Pointing out 200,000 Americans have been killed by coronavirus, he said: “I don’t know what on earth they must think about what he has been saying recently.”

Sir Keir answered questions from callers ahead of Boris Johnson announcing the details of a new three-tier system for Covid-19 restrictions – with areas of the North facing much-tougher lockdowns.

He accused the prime minister of treating the worst-hit areas with “contempt”, with an attitude of “Whitehall knows best and we will simply tell you what's coming your way”.

“It's just not good enough. You have to take people with you on this, listen to what local leaders are saying,” he said.

Mr Johnson should explain how the much-criticised test-and-trace system would be improved and how areas facing tougher restrictions will be able to escape those measures.

“The tier system is the first part of what we need to hear from the prime minister, but there's a lot more than that we need to hear this afternoon,” Sir Keir said.

MPs’ pay is set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) and linked to public-sector increases – after it was decided it was unacceptable for politicians to set their own salaries.

Although the exact rise is not yet known, Ipsa has acknowledged that, whatever the figure ends up being, “it is likely to exceed the rate of inflation”.

Sir Keir called for a cross-party discussion about what to do next, “because I suspect there's lots of MPs that feel it just isn't right”.

Richard Lloyd, Ipsa's interim chairman, has said the body has a statutory duty to review MPs' pay in the first year of each parliament.

Sir Keir also again refused to push for the post-Brexit transition period to be extended – despite the continued risk that the UK will crash out without a trade deal.

He insisted a “deal can be done" and that “it's in the national interest to have a deal”, repeating that the debate between Leave and Remain is over.