Life– Terror. Ecstasy. Fight. Denial. Flight. Failure. PAIN. Forgiveness. Reconciliation, Hope. Love. Peace – Death
The Conservative election campaign is in full swing and Rishi Sunak is at front and centre. A non elected Torie party leader fighting for his political future. During the many media opportunities now flooding our lives Sunak routinely suggests, in well rehearsed, political speak that Jnr. Doctors strikes are to blame for the current 8 million NHS waiting lists. Given the opportunity he, and his colleagues repeat this mantra at every opportunity.
Over the past 10 years MPs have had a 32% pay rise Nurses have had a 20% pay cut If nurses were paid at the same rate MPs are, there wouldn’t be a nurse’s strike. MPs have been handed almost double the pay rise of most nurses and other NHS workers in England.
The basic annual salary of a UK Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons is £86,584, as of April 2023. In addition, MPs can claim allowances to cover the costs of running an office and employing staff and maintaining a constituency residence or a residence in London (expenses).
You can’t convert it to an hourly rate as an MP does not have set hours of work. Their parliamentary work spreads over many hours, often into the evening. Their constituency work is often during evenings and weekends.
As public figures they are never really off duty. None of this considers hours thinking and planning strategies, writing letters, writing speeches, dealing with the media and social media. However, based on a 52-week year with an average of 37 hours per week ruffly speaking an MP’s salary equates to £45p/h.
Ordinary workers [not MP’s] now must build up and invest a savings pot of their own to prepare for retirement, with their employer obliged to pay just 3pc of their wages into their retirement fund. MPs earn a pension paying £16,500 a year in retirement after just 10 years in the job and a £33,000 income after 20 years.
It would take the average private sector worker 49 years to accrue a £16,500-a-year retirement income – making MP pensions five times more generous.
In a recent inquiry into MP’s pension levels in comparison with private sector pensions, Laith Khalaf, of AJ Bell, said MPs enjoyed an “extremely generous” pension scheme that allowed them to build up sizable retirement incomes in a relatively short space of time.
He said: “One does wonder whether the people making the laws that govern everybody else’s pensions might actually benefit from the experience of what a real-world pension is like. As it stands, MPs live in a bit of an ivory tower when it comes to their pensions, while most of us would have to work for a lot longer to get similar retirement outcomes.”
Public sector pension schemes promise to pay a guaranteed income that increases by inflation each year – meaning many retired civil servants are sheltered from the worst of the cost of living crisis. But with private sector pensions, retirement pay is by no means guaranteed and savers are forced to rely on investment performance.
MP’s Expenses
FACT: On average MPs claim £203,880 per year.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has revealed that Workington Conservative MP Mark Jenkinson claimed £249,881.63 in business costs during the 2020-21 financial year and Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron claimed £249,444.28.
This was compared to £178,406 for then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and £168,109 for Sir Keir Starmer.
The total costs of MPs last year rose by four per cent to £132.5 million, with almost £300,000 going on hotel claims for just 49 members.
MPs are able to claim allowances to cover ‘business costs’ the costs of running an office and employing staff and maintaining a constituency residence or a residence in London. Business costs are the essential costs incurred by MPs while carrying out their parliamentary duties including staffing, office costs and travel.
These ‘business costs reimbursements’ are not taxable.
Wages for staff that are paid by The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has set and administered MPs’ pay since 2011 on your behalf are covered by an exemption. You can claim a deduction where you incurred the expenses wholly, exclusively, and necessarily while performing your duties as an MP from monies not provided by IPSA.
MPs have seen their pay packets swell by over £20,000 over the last 14 years, with the rise this April representing a 31.7% cash terms increase compared to 2010/11 levels, when they earned £65,738.
Westminster Accounts: MPs earn £17.1m on top of their salaries since the last election – with Tories taking £15.2m Since the end of 2019, millions of pounds of outside earnings have been made by a small group of largely Tory MPs. The Owen Paterson scandal prompted some rule changes, but questions have been raised about whether they go far enough.
The latest government public sector pay increase proposals.
Average basic pay for a first-year junior doctor will increase from £29,300 to £32,300 and for a junior doctor in core training with 3 years’ experience it will increase from £40,200 to £43,900
In practice it is likely that very few junior doctors, if any at all, are paid £14.09 for each hour of work that they are required to do. Although there is evidence that many also work unpaid overtime.
To be eligible to stand as an MP, a person must be at least 18 years old and be a citizen of the UK, a Commonwealth nation, or Ireland.
To be a Doctor in the UK you are required to have a degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council which takes 5 years. a foundation course of general training which takes 2 years. specialist training which can take between 5 to 8 years depending on the speciality.
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Peace
#fuckcapitalism #fuckthetories
Dying to Live 