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Will Emily accept rise?
• FROM this month, inner London MPs, including Emily Thornberry, have been able to claim even more than they are already getting from hard-pressed taxpayers.
Ms Thornberry claimed the full London supplementary allowance of £2,812 last year. This perk has gone up to £7,500. I challenge Ms Thornberry to say whether she will take the more-than-doubled allowance. If elected as Islington South’s MP, I will not claim this allowance at all.
Ms Thornberry has just admitted (see The Times, April 8) that, despite being a member of the key communities and local government committee, she attended fewer than half its meetings. MPs should take their select committee duties more seriously than this.
In these difficult times, people want value for money from their representatives and are very angry about increases in MPs’ rewards. Just as Home Secretary Jacqui Smith came under fire over her second-home expense claims, it was revealed that MPs’ salaries are going up by more than inflation this year and MPs’ already gold-plated pensions are being bailed out with more public money.
These increases are happening when many people are hard hit by recession and will have to pay more in tax because of the government’s massive increase in debt. The rises can’t be justified.
A Conservative government would reduce the overall cost of politics, increase transparency over MPs’ salaries and expenses and try to rebuild public trust. David Cameron and members of the Opposition with official salaries will go without the present increase in their salaries as MPs. A Conservative government will freeze ministerial pay in 2010-11.
ANTONIA COX
Conservative parliamentary candidate for Islington South and Finsbury
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