How much is a Member of Parliament worth?

It is a job without a job description. It is everything you make it and for many, that means long hours, weekly travel between constituency and Westminster, late nights and early starts. It brings with it a lack of privacy in your personal life and sometimes intimidation and threats to you and your family. For most, it involves total commitment.

A small minority have multiple outside income streams or behave inappropriately, but this shapes the public perception of all politicians. This may change when a constituent needs help and turns to their local MP.

I never met a Member of Parliament who took on the role because of the pay. Some told me they had accepted a large cut in salary; others had had to make costly adjustments to their family arrangements. If salaries are too low, those without independent wealth may be discouraged from entering politics, limiting diversity and representation. Adequate pay can reduce the temptation for MPs to seek additional income through second jobs, avoiding possible conflicts of interest.

MPs are tasked with creating laws, scrutinising government actions, and representing an average of 70,000 constituents. Their salary should reflect the importance and demands of this. If the public judges their performance is wanting, they can make this known at the ballot box. MPs earn significantly more than the average worker, but less than those in leadership roles in both public and private sectors. The appropriate level of salary reflects how society values political leadership and public service.

MPs’ salaries are determined by an independent body, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, so decisions about pay are not made directly by politicians themselves. This system aims to be fair and transparent, but it does not eliminate public debate on the issue. MPs benefit from various allowances to run their offices, but these are closely scrutinised both by the parliamentary authorities and the press, in the wake of the expenses scandal. Staff salaries, travel costs to and from the constituency and the extra cost of working in two locations are sometimes misreported as MP earnings.

During times of economic difficulty, such as periods of inflation or wage stagnation, a pay rise for MPs may appear insensitive and self-serving, reinforcing the public’s negative perception of parliamentarians. Any decision to increase MPs’ pay should take into account both economic conditions and the need to maintain a fair and effective political system, and should be based on fairness rather than public perception of the role.

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Jo Gideon is the former conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central.

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