Fury as Bank of England boss admits he 'can't remember' his £575,000 salary

23 February 2022, 14:12 | Updated: 23 February 2022, 14:30

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has sparked anger after he couldn't remember his £575,000 salary.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has sparked anger after he couldn't remember his £575,000 salary. Picture: Alamy

By Sophie Barnett

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, who came under fire for suggesting people shouldn't ask for pay rises in the cost of living crisis, has again sparked anger when he "couldn't remember" his £575,000 salary.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Mr Bailey was trying to justify his calls for introducing pay restraint to curb inflation during a Treasury committee of MPs on Wednesday, when he fumbled over his sky-high salary.

He was grilled by Dame Angela Eagle MP, who asked: "Can you tell me what the median care worker wage was? It's £9.01 an hour and 77% care workers paid below Living Wage Foundation rate. What was your pay over the same period?"

"Substantially higher," Mr Bailey replied.

"What was it, governor?"

"Um, its somewhere over £500,000 - I can't tell you exactly what it was, I don't carry that around in my head."

The Labour MP hit back that he was paid £575,538 in the year from March 2020, including his pension.

She argued that workers had suffered the longest pay squeeze in 200 years, and asked when they could catch up if not now. 

Read more: 'Don't ask for a big pay rise': Fury at message from 500k Bank boss to struggling Brits

Read more: Masks off: TfL announces end of face coverings on Tube from Thursday

'Let them live for one day with a person that's trying to feed their kids!'

People have erupted into anger over his comments, which have been slammed as being "out of touch".

Positive Money UK, a not-for-profit advocacy group, said he earns "almost £300 an hour" while care workers earn just £9, asking "is this why the Bank of England is out of touch?"

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite the Union, also criticised the governor, saying he "blew a hole" in the bank's pretence to be neutral when he "targeted workers' pay packets instead of company bosses and inflated profits".

"Workers didn’t cause galloping inflation or the energy crisis so why should they pay for it?" she asked.

She wrote on Twitter: "Unite will always seek pay deals that reflect the true cost of living because anything else is a wage cut."

The governor then sought to defend controversial comments he made earlier this month urging workers not to ask for big pay rises to counter soaring inflation, saying that companies also need to think twice about raising prices significantly to help cool inflation pressures.

Earlier this month he said the UK needed to see "some moderation of wage rises" - something he conceded was "painful" - in order to prevent inflation from "spreading".

"What we can do is try to prevent inflation spreading and becoming more engrained in the system," Mr Bailey told the BBC.

When asked if he was telling people not to ask for "too high" a pay rise, he said: "Broadly, yes."

Read more: Heavy snow and wind to batter UK as weather warnings issued days after storm chaos

Mr Bailey has been criticised for his comments, that come at a time when the UK is suffering a growing cost of living crisis.

He told the Treasury committee that the so-called second round effects of the energy-led rise in living costs were his "biggest concern" and, if realised, would hurt the least well-off the most and could lead to even higher interest rates.

Ms Eagle called on Mr Bailey to visit a care home, with workers in the sector being paid £9.01 an hour on average.

UK's soaring inflation caused by 'perfect storm' of conditions

She asked what his view was on bank bonuses, adding: "We're in the middle of a huge bonanza for banker bonus payouts."

He said: "The same point holds about restraint for everybody."

On executive pay and bonuses more widely in the UK, he added: "When you're thinking about it, please reflect on the economic situation we're in with this very big economic shock coming in from outside.

"My big concern is that the least well off will come off worse in this process if we don't have some process of thought and restraint."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Breaking
Breaking News

British couple charged with espionage by Iranian authorities

An assistant referee has been charged with child sexual offences.

Assistant referee for FA Cup and football league games charged with child sexual offence

Corinna Schumacher, right, has broken her silence on the case involving a plot to reveal Formula One star Michael Schumacher's health secrets.

Michael Schumacher's wife breaks silence after three men guilty of blackmail plot to reveal F1 legend's health secrets

Doctor Who

Doctor Who faces axe as Nucti Gatwa 'quits' show amid drop in ratings over 'woke' storylines

Pope Francis

Pope Francis cancels weekend engagements as hospital stay extended

Bristol, UK. 19th Mar, 2020. Petrol now under £1 a litre as the drop in oil prices hits the forecourt. 99.9p a litre at Costco, Avonmouth, Bristol. Credit: Julian Kemp/Alamy Live News

Ten people injured after 'noxious substance' thrown in Costco as police hold teenage suspect

Alhaurin El Grande Malaga Province Spain Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación

Heartbreak as Brit pensioner, 90, 'starves to death in her Spanish home' as son, 63, 'found dead in property'

E-scooters are currently illegal to use on the public highways including pavements.

E-scooters blamed for 'shocking' surge in uninsured teen riders with 2,000% increase in offences

Thames Water has won court approval for a £3 billion emergency debt package as the nation's biggest water company scrambles to avoid collapse.

Thames Water handed £3 billion lifeline as court approves restructuring plans to save it from financial collapse

US and Russia begin talks about Ukraine in Saudi Arabia

Vladimir Putin 'ready to meet Zelensky', Moscow says as Russia-US peace talks underway

A drone view of Everton's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock during an Everton under-18 friendly match test event.

Everton's new stadium makes it's grand debut after £800million and four years

Job Centre Plus, London Road, Twickenham, Greater London, England, Great Britain, United Kingdom UK, Europe

UK wages see unexpected rise as unemployment rate holds steady at 4.4 per cent

Placebo band leader Brian Molko has been charged with defamation for calling the Italian PM a fascist and a Nazi during a gig.

British rock star Brian Molko charged after 'calling Italian PM a piece of s*** fascist and a Nazi' during gig

Exclusive
Short sentences and recall periods are keeping offenders in a longer cycle of going to jail, LBC has heard.

'It sent me back to square one': Short sentences create endless cycle of jail time, inmates tell LBC

Shocking footage shows passenger's 'lucky escape' after Delta jet crashes and 'flips' at Toronto airport leaving 18 injured

Shocking footage shows passenger's 'lucky escape' after Delta jet crashes and 'flips' at Toronto airport with 18 injured

Cracks over Starmer’s 'premature' peacekeeping plan as Europe left ‘irritated’ following crisis summit

Cracks over Starmer’s 'premature' peacekeeping plan as Europe left ‘irritated’ following crisis summit