Pay will rise to 74,000 pounds as part of package
LONDON (AP) — An independent body has given British lawmakers a 10 per cent pay increase — a headache for a prime minister who has pledged that public sector workers should only get a one per cent raise.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority on Thursday confirmed that pay will rise from 67,060 pounds (US$73,689) to 74,000 pounds as part of a package.
Prime Minister David Cameron had opposed the increase. But blocking an increase set out by the authority would require a change in law, and it was not clear Cameron could win such a vote in the House of Commons given his slim majority.
Some lawmakers have pledged to give their pay increases to charity in light of public anger.
The authority was established to regulate pay following a scandal involving lawmaker expenses.
