Today MPs got a whopping 3.1% pay rise – at a time when inflation is running at just 1.8%. Their stonking increase takes politicians’ salaries up to £81,932 a year, which according to the IFS puts them in the top 2% of earners in the UK. By comparison, fully qualified nurses start at £24,214, while soldiers start on £20,000.

To top it all off, Parliamentary staffers are only receiving a 2% pay rise – an increase of just 0.2% in real terms, while MPs are getting more than six times that. Parliamentary authorities justify it by saying. “This is in line with public sector guidance.”

Staff are not happy at the asymmetrical increases, with one telling Guido “This is utter barefaced cheek.  First of all, we are not public sector staff – if we were, we would have public sector pension plans and all the other perks that we don’t enjoy.  We are privately hired by the MP.” More to the point why is MP pay not rising similarly “in line with public sector guidance”?..

Newly elected MPs with no experience or vocational training, like the 26-year-old former student activist Zarah Sultana, get £81,932 whereas highly trained nurses have to work their way up for many years to receive a fraction of the pay.

Guido is sure Priti’s new points-based immigration system would not class MPs amongst the ‘high skilled’ professions…