Blair leads way in pay rises for politicians

Tony Blair is to receive a pay rise of almost three per cent from April, Downing Street announced today.

The increase will see the Prime Minister's salary jump from £178,922 to £183,932.

Cabinet ministers, MPs and senior civil servants are also in line for a 2.8 per cent rise. Cabinet ministers' pay will jump from £130,347 to £133,997, ministers of state from £95,281 to £97,949 and MPs from £57,485 to £59,095.

Cabinet Office officials said the pay rise was recommended by the senior salaries review body and was in line with the retail price index rate of inf lation, 3.2 per cent.

The big winners are senior civil servants who could see their pay jump by an inflation-busting 4.2 per cent.

Whitehall mandarins, the departmental permanent secretaries, could receive a new top rate of £264,250, up from £256,000.

Other beneficiaries include the Speaker whose salary rises to £133,997 and Michael Howard, the leader of the Opposition, whose pay rises from £124,277 to £127,757.

In addition to their salaries, MPs pocketed an average of £118,437 in expenses last year.