CHERIE BLAIR was furious when Gordon Brown vetoed a 26 per cent pay rise for ministers just after Labour came to power in 1997. In her autobiography, she writes: "I remember sitting at the table at the kitchen at No. 10 with my head in my hands and
staring at the now completely redundant financial breakdown as Tony tried to calm me down. How dare Gordon do that?"
Mr Brown announced another freeze on ministers' pay this week, citing "the importance of public sector pay restraint at a time of economic uncertainty".
He doesn't have Cherie to upset any more, but there are said to be some unhappy colleagues around. One unnamed minister was quoted describing the Prime Minister's rejection of a pay rise as "gesture politics of the worst kind" and "wearing a hair shirt as a stunt".
When it comes to pay and expenses, politicians are in a no-win situation.
Last week, the Scottish Parliament approved a new allowances scheme for MSPs – but so "toxic" is the issue that only a handful of them took part in the debate and it was all over in about 30 minutes.
The new scheme followed a review prompted by public outrage at the system which allowed MSPs from far-flung constituencies to claim for mortgage interest payments on their Edinburgh flats, then keep any profit they made when they sold the property on.
A string of examples were uncovered where politicians had made money on buying and selling second homes in the Capital's booming housing market.
Now the mortgage scheme has been scrapped and MSPs will have to rent or stay in hotels. Ironically, that could mean a bigger bill at the end of the day.
Labour's Tom McCabe noted the scheme was being abolished for "reasons of public perception" despite the fact "there could be a case for continuing the scheme on a value-for-money basis". But no politicians – not even those who face having to sell their houses – wanted to defend a scheme seen as profit-making at public expense. MSPs also resented the cut in their mileage allowance from 49p to 40p – but they kept quiet about that too.
The one issue they were willing to argue over was the review's recommendation that constituency MSPs should get a bigger staff allowance than their list colleagues on the grounds they have bigger workloads. Critics claimed the proposal would create two classes of MSP and the plan was thrown out.
Of course, the staff allowance is not money which goes into MSPs' pockets, it is for their staff.
What got lost in the row was the opportunity to put the salaries of MSPs' staff on to a proper scale. Researchers and assistants will continue to be paid at the discretion of their MSP boss.
MSPs' own salaries – currently £54,093 – are fixed at 87.5 per cent of the level of MPs' salaries – which at least means they don't have to vote for their own pay rises.
An independent review of MPs' pay published this week recommended salaries should also be removed from political debate and fixed instead by reference to a basket of comparable public sector salaries, including headteachers, police superintendents and army colonels.
The review proposed MPs' current salary of £61,820 should see three £650 uplifts over the next three years on top of the annual increase to get to what is seen as an appropriate starting point.
Gordon Brown backs the idea MPs should not vote on their own rises, but is opposing the catch-up rises and arguing for a link to a wider index of public sector pay which is likely to produce smaller annual increases. MPs will debate and decide next month.
But the discussion takes place against a background of scandals over politicians and their expenses. Tory Party chair Caroline Spelman is facing a full inquiry into payments to her nanny for "secretarial" work.
Earlier this month, Giles Chichester resigned as Tory group leader in the European Parliament after it was revealed he channelled £445,000 of staff allowances through a family firm.
The party's chief whip in Strasbourg, Den Dover, was replaced after paying a reported £758,000 over nine years into a company run by his wife and daughter. He has also been accused of paying for two luxury cars through expenses.
Scottish Tory Euro MP John Purvis admitted he could have broken rules by paying up to £120,000 into a company of which he is a director.
The European "gravy train" does the reputation of politics no good – but neither do lax ways at Westminster.
The latest scandal season was kicked off earlier this year with the revelations that Tory MP Derek Conway had paid his student son Freddie more than £40,000 from his office budget with little or no sign of any work done in return.
Then details of some MPs' expenses claims were made public for the first time – including tens of thousands of pounds in mortgage interest payments claimed by Tony Blair on his constituency home
For all the criticisms of MSPs, Holyrood is by far the strictest in keeping a check.
One Scottish Parliament insider says: "MPs at Westminster are just beginning to feel the heat which MSPs have felt for the past nine years. But they get really indignant at any prying."
Every detail of MSPs' expense claims are published on a quarterly basis. MPs are still resisting such a move.
But surely they would be better to put up with gentle mocking over how much they splash out on biscuits and toilet rolls than prolong the image of high-living spongers.
The full article contains 976 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
