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Tory plays down call to double MPs' pay
20 Aug 2009Senior Tory Sir Patrick Cormack sought today to play down his call for MPs' salaries to be doubled, calling reports "a bit of a distortion".
Sir Patrick, who was a candidate for Commons Speaker, said salaries should rise from £64,766 to more than £130,000 and all personal allowances should be scrapped.
His words, which were echoed by fellow Tory grandee Douglas Hogg, forced a Tory spokesman yesterday to insist that both MPs had been expressing their own individual views and they were not those of the Conservative Party.
Sir Patrick said today that his words should be set in context but he still believed his views to be valid.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the comments were made in May to an inquiry into expenses by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
He said: "I thought the tidiest solution for all this nonsense would be to abolish all personal allowances completely, travel, the lot and roll it up in the salary.
"But I went on to say that this would mean almost doubling the salary and because of the pension and other implications I didn't think this would therefore be acceptable.
"I then went on to spell out what I thought should be done to the allowances."
Sir Patrick suggested that all MPs' second homes should be rented rather than bought and should be based in London.
Asked whether he would still say MPs' salaries should be doubled, he said: "Yes, I think I probably would. It has been a terrible period and we've got to restore public confidence and one way of doing it would be the total abolition (of allowances) and the salary increase.
"But I accept we are in a recession. It would not be practical or acceptable and the hysteria over the last few hours seems to have illustrated that."
Reader views (18)
No qualifications are necessary in order to become an MP (and it is obvious that a large number of those in office have none). As the job is part-time at best, the salary should be halved. The ease with which it has been possible to abuse the expenses system has resulted in the calibre of members reaching an all time low.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 21/08/2009 09:39
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I've a better idea: reduce MPs' pay by 10%, and their numbers by half. Let's stop wasting so much money on the Westminster Waste of Space and its denizens. Most really important decisions that affect our lives are taken, regrettably, in Brussels now anyway.
- Croyboy, Croydon, 21/08/2009 08:17
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Lot's of class-war envy here, get a life you losers!
- Ted, London, 21/08/2009 08:00
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as was said of another senior tory who got into hot water some forty odd years ago; 'WELL HE WOULD WOULDN'T HE!'
- M.O'Brien, london, 20/08/2009 16:16
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This from the clown who wanted to be speaker,how many years did he beg and lie to become a M.P. this an insult.
- Alex., brighton, 20/08/2009 15:44
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The rent-a-mouth Labour M.P. for Ealing spoke fairly & well on this morning's Sky News Paper review when he stated that in his opinion M.P's received a fair salary.
He appears to understand that his employment contract lasts only until he has to seek re election. It is obvious that in future M.P.'s salaries & necessary expenses should be fixed prior an election with no change being permitted during the life of that parliament.
As for Cormack & Hogg they are just waffling old has- beens with no knowledge of the real world. They will never learn.
- Mordwinoff, Lisle France., 20/08/2009 15:41
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The Liebor lot will jump on this one, or anything other than answering questions; here's one, why are other Countries coming out of recession and we are not......no chance!
- Brian Hughes, North Wales, 20/08/2009 15:39
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The principal reason MPs are in such a mess is that they have been using expenses as a back door method of increasing their remuneration. Back door methods have been necessary because of MP's desire to appear more virtuous than they really are and because they know how hysterical many people will get if they try to deal with the matter openly. In the end it has all backfired terribly and we should now encourage an open debate on how best to reform the system.
Diagree with Sir Patrick by all means but dont pillory for expressing what appears to be an honestly held opinion. This kind of public hysteria will only force MPs back into their closets to think up more scams.
- Nigel, London, 20/08/2009 14:48
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If that was all MPs were paid and had no expenses whatsoever and pension i'd be more than happy to support it. Because at present they get far more than this!
- Thomas, UK, 20/08/2009 14:42
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MPS.receive enough in salary to meet all reasonable expenses. There is no reason for them to claim for expensive meals from restaurants, plus the traveling round in taxis instead of public transport. I could manage to get by on the present salaries they receive.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 20/08/2009 14:33
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I agree, let him have the money, as long as the same rule applies to the rest of us, that's fine by me.
Its trough dwelling MP's like him, through exorbitantly high taxes, food, fuel and rate charges, have made the UK so expensive, so let us all have a nice big increase to cover our costs!
What a selfish little Muppet the man is.
- George, Bexletheath, 20/08/2009 14:16
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I think they should pay mp's in excess of £425,000 a year then It would be worth me giving up my boring non-job and standing for Parliament.
- Steve, Brentford, 20/08/2009 13:23
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I think this idiot should actually take a pay cut, it might cause him to lay off the cream buns and subsidised cafe's of the Houses of Parliament. I bet he's hidden a few donnuts in those cheeks
- David, London, 20/08/2009 13:20
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Due to the fiasco of the MP's expenses they should have their salaries cut to GBP35,000p.a. If they don't like it, then clear out the dead wood and get some new young blood who are more in touch with society. We need the type like teachers, nurses, community workers, the people who care more about society, these types would drive change. Rather than a second home, put them up in a local London social housing estate so they can mingle with the locals.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark, 20/08/2009 13:17
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Their pay should be no more than the number of hours that any of them can PROVE that they have worked. No proof, no pay. The have all of them shown that they cannot be trusted at all, so let them do what real people do. and have to SHOW what they have done, and as for this obscene mouthy twat, he should be expelled immediately and permanently to show how sick of this vermin the public is.
- Minority Working Person, London/England, 20/08/2009 12:34
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Deselect him! Now!
Get a younger person more in touch with ordinary people. Tory grandees are not a protected species!
- Stephen, Plymouth, 20/08/2009 12:26
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Cut his pay by 10% and make him do community service to see what ordinary folk have to put up with in this recession. Better still make him redundant and repossess his eatates.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon, 20/08/2009 12:18
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Yesterday this womble said what he said.
He MEANT what he said.
Today he is trying to spin his way out of his obscene suggestion that MP's pay should be increased to GBP130,000.00pa.
The bloated muppet should try existing on GBP6760.00pa, as UK pensioners are forced to do.
- Reuben Camara, Principality of Morecambe, EUSSR, 20/08/2009 12:17
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