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MPs' pay set to hit £74,000: Your last chance to have a say on their 10% pay rise

Parliamentary watchdog says MPs' pay will rise to £74,000 by the end of the month unless there is 'compelling' evidence against the move

Matt Dathan
Tuesday 02 June 2015 12:32 BST
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This is your last chance to have a say on whether MPs should enjoy a 10 per cent pay rise this year.

The parliamentary watchdog Ipsa says MPs' salaries should rise from £67,060 to £74,000 a-year and it has published a final public consultation and unless “new and compelling evidence” comes to light opposing the move, your elected representatives will enjoy a much bigger pay rise than most workers are experiencing. The pay will be backdated to the day after the election - May 8.

If approved - which seems very likely given the language, the data published in the consultation and the sheer cost of Ipsa's work on the subject so far (they paid £70,000 on polling the public's views three years ago).

It comes at a time when the rest of the public sector is restricted to a 1 per cent pay rise. But you can have your say by emailing Ipsa your views, arguments and any "compelling evidence" you may have against MPs' salaries being hiked by 10.3 per cent.

And given the public outcry, you might be hailed as a hero if your evidence does indeed stop the staggering pay rise.

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg all opposed the pay rise before the election, but the Prime Minister has now given up any hope of blocking the move. His official spokesman told journalists this afternoon that Number 10 would not be making a fresh argument to Ipsa and Mr Cameron would receive the £7,000 automatically.

The consultation is only open until the end of the month, so start gathering your 'evidence' quickly.

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