NORTH Essex MPs have called on the quango which proposed they should get an 11 per cent pay rise to be scrapped.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority today unveiled a proposal to increase the current salary of £66,396 to £74,000 in May 2015

The authority revealed it planned to offset the costs with curbs to pensions, expenses for dinners, TV licences, taxis, and "golden goodbyes".

But Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell said there “currently could not be a worse time” to propose a pay hike.

He said: “I am quite content with my current level of pay for doing a job which I love.”
Bernard Jenkin, Tory MP for Harwich & North Essex, stressed the only way the pay rise could be halted would be if the government proposed a bill to scrap Ipsa.

He said: “If the government brings forward proposals to abolish Ipsa and the pay increase, I would vote for that."

He was backed by Clacton Conservative Douglas Carswell, who described the proposals as offensive to taxpayers.

He said: “Even Homer Simpson would not be this daft – and Ipsa’s recommendations are a lot less funny than the Simpsons.

“It is up to Ipsa, but MPs have a choice of accepting a pay increase or stop it by abolishing IPSA. I think we need to do that."

See Friday's Gazette for more