MPs to call for end to Lord Irvine's job

MPs are to call for the post of Lord Chancellor to be abolished and his powers split up in the wake of the furore over Lord Irvine's £22,000 pay rise.

A Labour-dominated Commons committee is to make the demand as anger continues to grow over the award to the peer, a close friend of Tony Blair.

In a humiliating climbdown, Lord Irvine was forced to announce he was giving up most of a 12.6 per cent increase, which he had been granted on top of his £180,000 salary. But just 24 hours earlier his spokesman had declared he would pocket the full rise.

Chancellor Gordon Brown denied he was behind moves to make Lord Irvine step down. But sources close to Mr Brown did not attempt to hide their irritation that headlines spelling out Lord Irvine's extra £22,000 had undermined calls for public sector pay restraint.