Spokeswoman says it would breach 'protocol' to say whether speaker had stuck to wage freeze agreed by Michael Martin John Bercow. Photograph: PA Questions were raised today over new Commons Speaker John Bercow's commitment to transparency after his office refused to reveal how much he is getting paid. A spokeswoman for Bercow said it would breach parliamentary "protocol" to say whether he had stuck to a wage freeze agreed by his predecessor, Michael Martin. Confusion has surrounded Bercow's remuneration ever since he took the chair last month. Martin had agreed to hold his pay at £141,868 along with cabinet ministers this year, in recognition of dire economic conditions that have left millions of private-sector workers facing cuts. However, all backbench MPs – including Bercow – were given an extra 2.33% on their salaries in April. The Commons website now lists the Speaker's total pay entitlement as £144,520, suggesting that Bercow has kept the increase and earns 1.9% more than his predecessor. The Speaker's salary has traditionally been linked to that of cabinet ministers. But while the website notes that they rejected rises this year, there is no reference to a freeze for Bercow. Repeated requests have been made for the Commons authorities to clarify the situation since the new Speaker was appointed. But Bercow's spokeswoman said today that there were "protocol difficulties" with revealing exactly how much he was getting from the public purse. "These questions are not answered because it would imply we are offering judgment on decisions taken by the full parliament," she said. The spokeswoman suggested that a freedom of information request ought to be made to the Commons, so that disclosure could be considered. During his campaign for the job, Bercow insisted: "It is high time the house was run by professionals on a transparent basis, ensuring that we are accountable to the people who put us here."Commons Speaker John Bercow refuses to reveal salary
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
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