Disquiet in honourable members' ranks

MPs turned on each other in the furore over their impending pay rise yesterday as tempers rose over suggestions by senior backbenchers that salaries should be doubled and, for ministers, possibly trebled.

Labour MPs in particular, though by no means exclusively, protested that they might not have signed the Commons motion calling for an independent review if they had realised it would be viewed as a move to double their money. "This whole debate has been spoiled by these lunatics," one said.

But Labour MPs account for the bulk of the 291 names recorded on the Commons order paper, including about 50 members of the Labour front bench and adding up to half the parliamentary party.

The fact remains too that MPs of all particular hues privately indicated that if double pay were to be the outcome they would certainly not complain.

Novel suggestions emerged amid the recriminations. David Evans, the outspoken right-wing Tory MP for Welwyn Hatfield, was one of the few members of the Tory backbench 1922 committee executive not to sign up, preferring to promote suggestions of his own.

Mr Evans said there should be two kinds of MP - full-time professional Members of Parliament and those with outside financial interests. Those with outside earnings should get no salary, while those without them should get a minimum of pounds 100,000, way above the prevailing pounds 34,085 basic salary.

The Liberal Democrats are also looking at the proposition that MPs should be split into full-time professionals and lower paid members with outside jobs. Paddy Ashdown, the party leader, made clear yesterday, however, that the only justification for a large pay increase would be in exchange for MPs agreeing to dedicate themselves solely to their parliamentary work. "If you are in this job for money, you shouldn't be. You should be in this job for service," he said. "I have no difficulty with my salary as an MP."

MPs' salaries were not the only source of complaint at Westminster as members emphasised that their additional office costs allowance of pounds 42,754 was insufficient to employ the quantity and quality of staff they needed. Robert Hughes, Tory MP for Harrow West, said there was "widespread concern on both sides of the House about that". Some MPs said that a bigger allowance was needed for two to three staff for secretarial and research work - and to pay them enough to stop them leaving for better pastures.