DAVID Cameron is coming under increasing pressure to take a stand against the proposed 10 per cent pay rise for MPs after Labour leadership candidates, the SNP, some Tories and even a Cabinet colleague made clear they would not accept the cash.
Downing Street stressed how the Prime Minister was opposed to the £7000 pay hike, which, backdated to May 8 will take MPs' pay to £74,000 a year. It stressed that he had made representations to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority(Ipsa), which was proposing the bumper pay rise; inflation is currently below zero.
Mr Cameron has previously described the 10 per cent hike as "unacceptable" when the rest of the public sector is restricted to just one per cent; he even hinted he might seek to scrap Ipsa in light of its recommendation. Over the parliament, the pay rise would cost the taxpayer £23m.
But his spokeswoman, asked about whether he would keep the extra £7000 rather than hand it to charity, as others have said they will do, repeatedly answered by stating Ipsa was an independent body and it set MPs' pay.
She pointed out how the PM was determined to keep the cost of politics down and had ordered another five-year pay freeze on ministerial pay.
The row was triggered after Ipsa launched a final review of its plans, declaring it could see no "material" reason to change them. Unless a consultation produced "new and compelling evidence" by the end of the month, the move would be confirmed.
The increase was originally unveiled in 2013 to address complaints that MPs' pay had dropped behind that for comparative jobs.
But at Westminster, Andy Burnham, the Shadow Health Secretary, Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, and Liz Kendall, the Shadow Health Minister, all vying for the party leadership, have declared they will forgo the rise.
A Labour spokeswoman indicated Harriet Harman, the acting party leader, would also not take the additional money.
Stella Creasy, one of the MPs seeking the party's deputy leadership, branded it "unjustifiable" while Labour frontbencher Gloria De Piero said it was "immoral".
Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, also made clear it was not the "right time" for a pay rise and said: "MPs are going to make it very clear that they don't think this is the right thing to do."
She noted she could increase the amount she gave to charity if the hike went ahead while a number of Tories were thought to be planning to donate the benefits.
Other MPs are also believed to have asked Ipsa to introduce a mechanism that would allow them to "opt out" of the salary increase.
Meantime, Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, made his position clear, saying: "Now is a time of austerity and huge financial difficulties for far too many people. It is not right for MPs to have a pay rise in these circumstances.
"If Ipsa goes ahead with these changes I think it would be right to use the funds to support local charities,'' he added.
Blocking the rise for rank-and-file MPs would require a change in the law and with a slim majority it is far from clear whether Mr Cameron would be able to carry a vote in the Commons.
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