Nicola Sturgeon says no pay rise for Scottish ministers as Boris Johnson to accept wage increase

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scottish Government ministers will not take a pay rise this year as Downing Street confirms the Prime Minister will accept a pay increase.

Nicola Sturgeon said a ministerial pay rise had not been taken since 2008 by Scottish ministers as she said they would donate increases to their pay to the public purse.

It comes as Downing Street confirmed Boris Johnson will accept his pay rise of just over £2,200 on April 1. This takes a MP salary to £84,144 a year.

Responding, Ms Sturgeon tweeted: “Ministers in @scotgov have not taken a pay rise since 2008 and I can confirm we will not do so this year either.

The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has said that Scottish Government ministers will not take a pay rise this year as Downing Street confirms the Prime Minister Boris Johnson will accept a pay increase.

"We donate increases back to the public purse for spending on services.

"Where there is a will there is a way.”

Salaries for MSPs and ministers in Scotland are set by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), which is made of a representative of each party and chaired by the presiding officer.

No. 10 said there was no mechanism for Mr Johnson to turn down the pay rise as it was an independent recommendation from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) and automatic.

A statement reads the Prime Minister’s ministerial pay “has been frozen for some time now and will remain so”.

Earlier this month, the House of Commons watchdog sparked anger by announcing MP salaries were going up on the basis that politicians worked harder than usual during the pandemic.

The pay rise comes as the country faces a £12 billion increase in national insurance and Ofgem’s price cap rises to £1,971 on April 1.

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