MSP pay rises by 1.5 per cent

MSPs are set to get a pay rise of 1.5 per cent, taking their annual salary to £67,661 from April.

The increase is in line with the average pay rise for public sector workers, as measured by the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) index.

Ministers will also be offered the 1.5 increase for their salaries, though in recent years the government has declined any increase.

Speaking to the finance committee, Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body member Jackson Carlaw MSP said: “I would like to highlight that this 1.5 per cent increase is not intended as any form of virtue signalling – we are simply applying the ASHE index at the published rate and continue to follow this approach.

“It normally lags behind increases in sector pay and therefore we would anticipate that it would lead to a higher recommended increase in the forthcoming year.”

Before 2016, MSP salaries were pegged to MP salaries. MPs are expected to see their wages rise by 2.2 per cent in April.