There’s a kind of carrot for MPs behind the financial brutality of the Kelly report. Unspoken but lurking is the Senior Salaries Review Board look at MPs’ basic salaries, which Sir Christopher Kelly clearly believes should be “fundamental.”
The Kelly Report also calls for a law (point 13.31) which stops governments from interfering in any recommended salary hikes that the independent pay review body may recommend.
There are a couple of areas that didn’t come up in the press conference Sir Christopher gave but which are quite striking.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life clearly thinks that the law setting up the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is a complete dog’s dinner – Chapter 13 describes it as “put through all its stages in parliament in great haste”, of which “it bears the scars”.
It has “confusion at its heart” and “runs unnecessary risks of being dysfunctional”.
They want IPSA to have the ability to demand information and repayment from MPs, just like the DWP or HMRC.
That, many MPs will feel, is a dilution of the power of MPs to police themselves.
Kelly goes further and wants outsiders to sit on the Standards and Privileges Committee alongside MPs (and sit on the Speakers’ committee).
“No issue of privilege arises,” they say.
Plenty of MPs will see that differently.
- Read more: Will MPs conspire to dilute the Kelly proposals?
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Commentsoldest first
“That, many MPs will feel, is a dilution of the power of MPs to police themselves.”
I think we have seen what happens when MPs “police themselves” and I suspect that with Ms Harman wanting to dilute the new recommendations that we will see more of MPs “policing” themselves (for their own benefit).
I like the idea of outsiders sitting on committees.
Me please….!
I’ll join ya! There would be no bending nor warping any rules with me. These scum need constant monitoring.
Ray and Anthony i will join you , but as an alternative we could stand for Parliament itself
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