MPs' pay deal may allay expenses concerns

Wednesday, 21 October 2009 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

MPs may be allowed a £3,000 pay increase to allay a rebellion over tough expenses action, rumours around Westminster suggest.

Downing Street aides allegedly discussed a plan for ministers to take a £20,000 pay cut in order to increase MPs' pay by £3,000, thereby not increasing the cost on the taxpayer.

The prime minister is looking for ways to pacify MPs already enraged by the retrospective nature of the Legg letters before the tough sanctions of Sir Christopher Kelly's review come out.

He has ruled out any pay increase as part of his belief that only plainly painful actions will bring back faith in Westminster.

Any MP who lives less than 90 minutes away from parliament will be denied the second home allowance altogether, Sir Christopher is expected to rule.

But with MPs feeling increasingly hard done by, and Gordon Brown's tenuous grasp on power, the prime minister may be tempted to make concessions to alleviate the pain of Sir Christopher's review.

Tags:
• constitution
,
• domestic policy
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• house of commons
,
• legal and constitutional