Westminster's Conservative MP wanted full pay rise, Hansard reveals

1.02.11pm GMT Tue 29th Jan 2008

Conservative MP Mark Field wanted MPs to get a bigger pay rise than nurses. The LibDem frontbench supported a below-inflation 1.9% rise instead.

Local MP Mark Field wanted to take the full pay rise proposed for MPs, despite other public sector workers like nurses and police officers having to accept a below-inflation increase, analysis of Hansard transcripts reveals.

Because of overwhelming support for MPs to accept a below-inflation 1.9% pay rise there was no formal vote on the proposal, so Mr Field did not have the opportunity to vote one way or the other.

However, in the Commons debate on the issue, on 24th January, the Conservative MP told the House, "We criticise Government actions on the police - a no-strike deal was an integral part of an arbitration process - but we are now almost trying to make two wrongs into a right by ignoring the independent board's recommendations on our salaries. Surely we should defend the notion of implementing the findings of an independent board properly, rather than simply grandstanding on police pay."

Commenting, local Liberal Democrat spokesperson Neville Farmer said, "It is absurd that Mr Field suggests that MPs should vote themselves a pay rise bigger than that awarded to nurses, midwives, and prison officers as some kind of act of high principle.

"The Government should observe the pay recommendations of the independent pay review bodies for nurses, police officers and others. In the current circumstances however, where they are ignoring those recommendations, MPs should show restraint and respect for the hardship those public-sector workers are experiencing. I am pleased that the Liberal Democrat frontbench backed the below-inflation 1.9% rise."

Mr Field's words can be found in House of Commons Hansard, 24th January 2008, column 1670 (which can be found via this link http://tinyurl.com/2ebvsl).