As the UK has handed over control to the Peoples Republic of Brussels, these people have no jobs, fire them!

Desmond Taylor, Houston, USA Tx

Comparisons with the salaries of 'equivalent' professionals are null and void.

MPs are not professionals. All one has to do to become an MP is win a constituency election; no qualifications are required.

The 61K MPs already earn is far too much for a job that requires no qualifications.

Sean, Surrey, UK

Put it to a public vote. Let the people decide if politicians deserve any pay rise. A no vote is a most likely outcome.

Jim Wills, Brisbane, Australia

A room full of people with vested interests are are hardly going to think 'outside the box' are they?
Do we actually need political parties? Are they representative of the electorate or their paymasters? Perhaps we could have a tendering process, lowest quote gets the job. Time for their reform?

Bob , Swadlincote, uk

A 23 % rise!!!!
Ha Ha Ha another government joke... They should take a 75% PAY CUT-Their productivity is currently ZERO
even better a pay cut to £18000 a year with expenses of 11p a mile like THEY make the rest of the country claim which is a JOKE..
.

Allan Pointon, Stafford, England

The other week I watched Parliament on the TV there were around a dozen MP's present 2 appeared to be sleeping, the subject under discussion was the well being of 4 greater crested newts and their habitat. Not the well being of pensioners and the 10% band. Where does this justify mind boggling rises

Tony , Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

All they mostly do is rubber-stamp laws made by that paragon of political intellect and wisdom, the EU - isn't that where 75% of our laws come from? Sod a rise, our MPs should get a 75% pay cut. They can pretend to be 'professional managers' all they want, but not at our expense.

Mike, Brighton, England

How can increase in pay be justified when so much of their work has been taken over by Brussels?
Greed, greed and even more greed seems to be the driving force behind our politicians.
It's a shame they are not nearly so interested in improving the lot of their constituents!

Glenn, wales,

They probably should be paid more, but only in return for giving up the various perks that they have been abusing. Essentially many of them are already being paid that much or much more thanks to 'expenses'. Most people have to pay for things like food, mortgages etc from income but not MPs.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

Maybe public sector pay (including pensions) is too high too.

Simon, Wokingham, UK

Any raise must take account of the relatively very generous pension scheme: perhaps the best in the country. There's no way the public would buy a raise unless the overly-generous, opaque, 'expenses' are curtailed - which we, and they, know is effectively pay, easily giving them their £75,000+.

Marcus Stewart, Oxford,

Maybe if we had to reduce the number of MPs' to around 200/250 then it is just possible that a moderate salary increase would be justified. They seem to be the only members of society who get obscene pay increases without the mandatory redundancies.

D. Barrowclough, Burnley, Lancs.

If you pay peanuts you will get monkeys. MPs - all legislators - should be paid a high salary which is not compared with nor linked to any other occupation because MPs are unique. We need the best men and women in Parliament and to form governments so that we get those of real ability to serve us.

JSMRoberts, Seaford, England

This government is a shambles, so reduce their pay. And let pensioners and the benefit claimants have a rise too. Expect a healthy society to live on £60 a week?

JANE FLEMING, Whittlesey, Cambs

How on earth can MPs compare themselves with public-sector employees in middle to senior ranks. The role & responsibilities of an MP is nowhere near that of these professions. What exactly do MPs actually do for a living. Until election time they are mainly unaccountable. £40,000 is adequate payment

Lynda Plum, London, england

How can a raise be justified. Only when there is a shortage of MP's should this be considered. Comparisons with others is irrelevant . Their expenses should be curtailed and audited and their staff independently employed. They are extremely well paid for what they do

Pete, Barry, Wales

Underpaid? At half their current pay they are not worth it. Talk about 'fill your wellies'.....

judy, Liverpool, England

These brilliant chaps and chapesses, whose worth is demonstrated at every PM's question time, are surely entitled to far more than they suggest. Were it not for their intellectual acumen, this country might be regarded as an ill-governed shambles.

Steve , Argyll,

Including the £135,850 expenses and more than £20,000 for living costs I get their salaries to over £200.000 per annum with our dear leader Chairman Brown one of the best-paid leaders in the western world. I think a 23 percent pay cut for wrecking the country would be more acceptable to the people.

Cromwell, Leeds, England

Sir John Baker's public consultation into MPs pay and pensions opened on 19.3.08 and closed just 3 weeks later on 11.4.08 - considerably shorter than the recommended period of 3 months. Also he states he does not intend to publish any of the responses.
What happened to openness and transparency ?

Peter Hooper, Windsor., UK

scandalous. they should have the same percentage pay rise as other civil servants. but then they should also be held accountable, disclose expenses, sign upto the civil service charter and behave in a respectable honest manner. lie detector tests might also save the taxpayer some money on expenses.

joseph, london,