Our £60,000 salary is not enough, say nearly two-thirds of MPs

A massive 61 per cent of MPs questioned think they deserve more money, even though their pay is already more than double that of the average worker.

Just two per cent think they are paid too much, while 34 per cent believe the level is right. Three per cent declined to give an answer, despite participating in the wider survey.

Anti-sleaze campaigners said politicians should set an example by becoming less of a burden to the taxpayer, not more.

They enjoy a salary of £60,675 compared with the average national salary of £25,000.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has held MPs to a 0.66 per cent pay rise this year, adding around £400 to their salaries of £60,277.

But politicians also have generous expense allowances, with the average MP claiming £134,000 a year.

The total cost to the public purse is £132.2million a year - including £39 million in salaries and £86.7million in expenses and office allowances.

Only a week ago, MPs voted for an extra £10,000 for "communication" expenses, allowing them to produce glossy brochures to inform their constituents of their activities. The costs were condemned by some MPs but Leader of the Commons Jack Straw claimed it was a "modest sum".

The survey, conducted by Dods Polling and ICM for parliamentary periodical The House Magazine, asked 200 MPs about their pay.

Of the 120 who responded, 61 per cent said it was "too little".

Conservative MPs were the most unhappy, with 79 per cent believing their pay is too low, compared with 65 per cent of LibDems and 52 per cent of Labour MPs.

MPs who had been in the Commons for the shortest time were the most dissatisfied with their pay, with 83 per cent elected at the 2005 General Election believing £60,000 was too low. The House Magazine refused to give a named breakdown of which MPs were unhappy.

Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: "MPs are not living in the real world if they think they are paid too little. Most people have seen their incomes fall in real terms in the past few years with rising tax and rising utility bills.

"They certainly won't be impressed by MPs wanting to grab even more of their cash to feather their own nests."

Martin Bell, former independent MP and anti- sleaze campaigner, said: "I find it extraordinary. It is a huge privilege to be a Member of Parliament. MPs are paid far above the average salary of the people they represent. I find it amazing that they still want more.

"MPs are supposed to set an example. An example of frugality would be a good start."

The poll also revealed that just 18 per cent believed being present in the Commons was the most important part of their job, while 76 per cent put constituency business first.

Six per cent said working on national and international issues was the most important aspect.