Tory members reject the idea of a temporary cut in MPs' pay

A little while ago I recommended a 5% temporary cut in MPs' pay as a sign of moral leadership from Parliament during a time when the public sector would need to be slimmed down.

I put the idea to the grassroots in the end-March survey of the Tory grassroots but I got something of a raspberry returned to me.  Only 40% supported the measure.  Only slightly more - 41% - supported my idea of a 10% cut in ministers' pay during the same period of austerity.

Only 19% supported a "ban on Tory frontbenchers pursuing outside paid interests while in opposition" and 42% supported a "one-third reduction in MPs' own pension benefits"; something proposed by Mark Field.

More popular was a "reduction in the number of MPs to 500 from the current 650".  58% supported that reduction in the number of elected politicians.

Where there was overwhelming support was for a "root-and-branch reform of the allowances received by MPs".  A whopping 96% supported that.

Earlier this week David Cameron urged the Prime Minister to take action on MPs' allowances NOW and not put the issue to another review.  During a Five Live phone-in, the Tory leader also appeared sympathetic to the idea of MPs being fined if they misused allowances.  Over at CentreRight today, Jonathan Isaby highlights an idea from Tory councillor Ian McCord.

Tim Montgomerie

Comments

[Sally Roberts]

Not remotely surprised!

[Conand]

WOW!

I was PRO the pay cuts but AGAINST reducing the number of MPs!!!!

I thought that would have sent a strong message to our Conservative MPs to, at the very least, sort themselves out.

I'm really dissapointed. Are you people on drugs? Is it the same people who dislike Sayeeda Warsi? Are you the people who turn up for Conservative drinks parties but never put the work in on the ground? Weird, weird, weird. Hello another 20 years of Labour nightmare.

[Englandism.co.uk]

'During a Five Live phone-in, the Tory leader also appeared sympathetic to the idea of MPs being fined if they misused allowances.'

I misread this as 'fired' rather than 'fined'. In the private sector using the company credit card for personal purchases not related to legitimate expenses is an instant dismissal on the grounds of gross misconduct irrespective of an expressed intent to pay the employer back. It is an issue of trust.

Dear Mr & Mrs Home Secretary,

Claiming for credit card based pay per view flesh flics is gross misconduct. Your employer. The electorate. Require that you are Alan Sugarred forthwith.

[ToryBlog.com - Britain: Built by bankers, broken by politicians]

Tokenism. I'd like to see Cameron propose a 5% pay cut across the entire public sector including MP's.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Well I'm very suprised indeed.I thought it a gesture which would have restored the public's faith in MPs and would if taken only be Conservative members put us on the moral high ground.
Much more cvaluable than reducing the number of MPs in my opinion.

[Steve Horgan]

It is exactly this sort of gesture politics that has taken us to the point that MPs are underpaid and are then have been tacitly encouraged to use allowances to supplement their salary. When MPs were first paid the salary was set at around £100k in today's terms and has declined ever since becasue of bright ideas like this.

The answer is to pay them a decent salary for the job and have a strict system for office expenses and a secondary base in London if required. This should, for example, prohibit the employment of relatives.

[Sally Roberts]

Couldn't agree with you more, Steve! Nice to see you on here by the way - long time no see!!

[Tony Sharp]

Steve, MPs have less responsibility now than at any time in our history. So why should their salaries keep increasing? I could understand it if we were demanding more from them, but some days the Commons winds up early because of a lack of business. It is not justified.

[Ross Warren]

Well what do we expect, the PCP still contains way to much dross, far to many of the old guard, the jobs for the boys brigade.
To be fair I didn't agree with them having a cut. Indeed I argued for a pay increase of 20% and a complete end to the allowances. We will get neither and far to many of our MP's will act like pigs in shi*e. Its not just a Labour problem, a seat in the house is a Lottery win.

[Jack Stone]

I entirely agree with Steve Horgan. Pay cuts etc is just gesture politics. If you want to really deal with the problem than you must reform the way MP`s are paid along the lines suggested.

[Malcolm Dunn]

They are already paid a decent salary for the job Steve Horgan.I do not think you'll find much support here or indeed anywhere else with your assertion that MPs are underpaid.

[Freddy]

The only realistic way to sort this out - I mean a solution that is practical, and likely to get adopted - is to go for MPs' expenses, especially the additional costs allowance.

What the public don't like about the additional costs allowance is the allowance for second homes.

As far as I'm aware all the MP can claim for is the interest he, or she, pays on the mortgage for the second home. The average person doesn't see it that way though. Second homes can be sold later on when the MP has retired, for a very good price, especially if the house is in London.

MPs' pay is about right, although the pension is over generous. Ministerial salaries are absurd, in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Implement IMF Shock Therapy on MPs!

Cut MPs Salary by 60%
Abolish MP pensions
Fire 50% MP

[RichardJ]

Personally I'm for a return to the days when MPs didn't get paidat all. Who in the current Parliament equals Disraeli, Gladstone, Joseph Chamberlain or Lord Salisbury? Get rid of the career politicians.

[Graeme Archer]

I'm not remotely surprised by the result of the survey which should end, once and for all, the fiction that it has any representative value- whether of party voters or members. It is representative- perhaps- of the people who comment on this site.

The survey was once predicated on the spurious finding that it was close to predicting the results of one of our many leadership elections. How this could be induced to infer that similar resampling would say anything of interest about any other issue is well beyond my capacity for understanding!

Of course MPs' salary should be cut, as should that of every public sector worker, in tandem with the cuts being suffered by those who pay their wages. If you want proof of elected arrogance, check out the blog of Tom Harris MP, who chooses this week to defend his right to spend 10k+gbp pa on promoting his electoral prospects.

[Steve Foley]

I still feel that we should half the number of MPs, yes that means larger constituencies, and pay the remainder £120k per year. No allowances, no funding to provide staff. They foot the bill out of the £120k

[Peter]

If an MP buys a(nother) house out of expenses, surely any profit (rent and/or sale price) should be returned to the tax payer when they leave parliament?

The same should apply pro-rata to any tax payer assisted purchases, house and contents.

If we paid for it, it's ours not theirs!

[StevenAdams]

@RichardJ

What a silly suggestion. So you'd gave the role of an MP only available to the rich who didn't need to worry about the credit card bills?? Silly.

[Ross Warren]

"Personally I'm for a return to the days when MPs didn't get paidat all. Who in the current Parliament equals Disraeli, Gladstone, Joseph Chamberlain or Lord Salisbury? Get rid of the career politicians. "

Oh please....do we really want our PM to be Lord Bath or some other idiot with the cash and without the experience. Personally I would like to see a few dozen non graduate MP's. By involving the real "commoners" we would get a more balanced parliament. And before anyone pipes in with some observation about Oxford Cambridge..Eton Harrow blah blah blah, lets not forget that Jim Callaghan had no degree whatsoever. Mind you he was a crap PM.

[Alan.Summ]

I may be wrong but if I live and normally work in Birmingham and have to work in London the best that I could expect of my employer would be a subsidy on accommodation based on receipts and subject to an upper limit. There is no extra allowance to furnish accommodation etc. the reality is that working away from home normally costs me money for the 'incidentals' (eg video rental?).
As for our MPs they knew in advance that they would have to work from their Constituency and also be in London so it was their choice before they got the job. Why are they so much better provided for than any commercial company's staff under similar circumstances ?
The MP's expenses policy does need significant review and curtailment !!

[will]

Mps should not be paid by the State because they are not it's employees.

[Cary]

"Mps should not be paid by the State because they are not it's employees."

Ah, but they should be employees, with the same rights and obligations as civil servants (eg. if they put their hands in the till they can and should be dismissed).