A Tory MP has said politicians should get a pay rise and claims he doesn't know how some members of parliament manage financially.
Describing the situation as 'really grim', Sir Peter Bottomley, says politicians should earn as much as doctors.
It comes as claimants of Universal Credit will lose a £20-a-week boost to their welfare benefits from today.
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The basic salary for an MP is £81,932, while the average salary across the UK last year was £31,461.
"I take the view that being an MP is the greatest honour you could have, but a general practitioner in politics ought to be paid roughly the same as a general practitioner in medicine,’ he told the New Statesman.
"Doctors are paid far too little nowadays.
"But if they would get roughly £100,000 a year, the equivalent for an MP to get the same standard of living would be £110-£115,000 a year – it’s never the right time, but if your MP isn’t worth the money, it’s better to change the MP than to change the money.’
Sir Peter, known as the Father of the House because he is the longest serving MP in Parliament, said he believes the situation is 'desperately difficult' for newer MPs.
"I don’t know how they manage," the MP for Worthing West said.
"It’s really grim."
His comments come as a temporary uplift for Universal Credit claimants introduced during the pandemic came to an end today.
It is thought the removal of the fund could affect nearly six million people and their families, with a loss of about £1,040 a year.
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville appeared on TV this morning to lambast the decision.
He argued that reducing Universal Credit was 'brutal', and condemned 'divisive and dangerous' language on the topic.
Fellow Good Morning Britain guest and former Tory MP Edwina Currie had said: "What we have to realise is we've got something like a million vacancies being advertised in this country.
"It doesn't make any kind of sense to pay people to stay at home."
In response Gary said: "Well, let me just translate what Edwina has just said," he hit back.
"'I'm ok here, we're ok here', which is the first thing a Conservative person does.
"They look after themselves.
"The language is always divisive, it's not helpful. It's really dangerous to remove Universal Credit payments at this moment in time, it's brutal."
