Senior Tories: Pay us £130k
By politics.co.uk staff
Two senior Conservatives are causing further headaches for David Cameron after calling for a massive increase in MPs’ salaries.
In his submission to an inquiry into MPs’ allowances, Sir Patrick Cormack suggested adopting a £130,000 salary would allow for the second home allowance to be scrapped altogether.
Meanwhile, Douglas Hogg, the Tory MP who came in for criticism after using his expenses to clean his moat, told the committee on standards in public life that MPs should be paid £100,000 plus expenses.
“A parliamentary salary does not support the lifestyle to which most professional and business classes aspire,” he said in his submission.
“There is a real danger that so far as the intake from the professional and business classes are concerned, we will restrict the intake. This is not in the public interest.”
The comments raise further problems for Mr Cameron, who has already had to deal with the controversy sparked when Alan Duncan, shadow Leader of the House, said MPs were being reduced to “rations”.
