Backbenchers have written to the independent body that sets salaries seeking a rise from the current £60,277 to achieve parity with GPs and council chief executives.

Such a hike would push up the cost to the taxpayer of the annual salary bill of the House of Commons from £39m to £65m and may trigger a public backlash. The party leaders, however, are likely to urge restraint.

In an attempt to limit bad publicity, Labour MPs have been encouraged to write to the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) individually, rather than formulate a collective submission. The Tories have made a submission through the 1922 committee of backbenchers.

Many Tory and Labour MPs have written individually to the SSRB pressing for £100,000, arguing that they work as hard and carry as much responsibility as top civil servants. The deadline for submissions is next Friday.

During its last review in 2004, the SSRB found that MPs earned about the same as junior directors of middle-sized companies, head teachers of middle-sized schools and departmental heads of local authorities or NHS trusts.

The 1922 committee submission does not specifically call for a rise to £100,000, but it states that MPs’ earnings have dropped 15% behind the private sector jobs that the SSRB used for comparison in 2004, and 12% behind public sector comparators.

It also complains that, since 2002, MPs’ pay has increased far more slowly than average earnings and has failed to keep pace with the retail price index. However, MPs claimed an average of £131,000 in allowances in the past year.

Sir John Butterfill, a senior Tory MP, who contributed to the 1922 committee submission, said: “There are a lot of unhappy bunnies. The main issue is the degree to which MPs’ salaries have fallen behind other public servants.

“Over the years we have been downgraded and compared to junior directors of middle-sized companies at the last review [in 2004] but, even so, we have failed to keep up. There is no point in having a review body that chooses comparators then doesn’t keep us up with them.”

He said it was not for MPs to decide what jobs were comparable but added: “Not that many years ago, we were on a par with GPs and heads of comprehensive schools. They are now on £100,000.”

One Tory backbencher said pay should “nudge six figures” while a senior Labour backbencher said: “There is no difference between the parties on this.”

However, some Tory MPs, including Sir Nicholas Winterton, regard £70,000-£75,000 as a more realistic salary.

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