UK’s Commons Speaker, who chairs Parliamentary debates, now earns more than the Prime Minister, after the former, John Bercow, accepted an extra 0.62% pay hike and the latter, David Cameron did not. That extra was on top of the 10% Members of Parliament (MPs) had already received earlier this year.
According to www.parliament.uk, Mr. Cameron’s current annual salary is £149,440, compared to Mr. Bercow’s £150,236. The Speaker’s salary comprises of MP’s salary of £74,000 and the additional salary for the Speaker of £76,236. The Prime Minister’s salary includes the MP’s salary of £74,000 plus the Prime Minister’s salary.
The increase is the result of an obscure part of the legislation related to the pay of officeholders.
John Simon Bercow (born 1963) has been the Speaker of the House of Commons since June 2009.
This means that Mr. Bercow’s remuneration has risen in line with the average awarded to senior civil servants at the end of each parliament.
Speaker holding on to his pension
While Mr. Cameron has given up his non-contributory half-salary pension, which a Prime Minister is entitled to, Mr. Bercow has kept his. The Speaker did say, however, he would not draw it until he reached pensionable age (65 years).
Mr. Bercow pays no taxable benefit for his gace-and-favour home, unlike Mr. Cameron who does, it seems.
Mr. Bercoe’s spokesperson said:
“The Speaker’s salary is proactively published on the Parliament website. This being the case, there is nothing to add.”
After a ruling by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authorities, MPs got a 10% pay hike in July 2015, even though most British workers had not seen a pay rise in real terms for over five years.
How does the UK Prime Minister’s pay compare globally?
Compared to other major economies across the world, the British Prime Minister’s annual salary is more or less in the middle. Singapore’s Prime Minister, who is paid $1.7 million, earns 21.78 times what the Prime Minister of Spain gets ($78,185).
Annual salary of heads of government:
Singapore – $1,700,000
USA – $400,000
Australia – $345,000
Canada – $296,000
Sweden – $280,000
Germany – $234,000
UK – $214,800
Japan – $202,700
France – $200,000
Mexico – $148,000
Brazil – $120,000
Spain – $78,185