After apologising to witches and advocating nuclear armageddon, what next for Nicola Sturgeon? Why, a healthy dollop of virtue-signalling, of course. The selfie-loving satrap spotted an opportunity to put some clear blue water between her and Westminster this morning, leaping on a tweet from today’s No. 10 briefing that confirmed Boris Johnson would accept the forthcoming pay rise being given by IPSA to all MPs. Sturgeon declared to her 1.4 million followers on Twitter that:
Ministers in @scotgov have not taken a pay rise since 2008 and I can confirm we will not do so this year either. We donate increases back to the public purse for spending on services. Where there is a will there is a way.
Noble stuff. However, as so often with the SNP, the dear leader’s account wasn’t exactly the full truth. First, it’s worth noting that in 2021 Boris Johnson had a total salary of £157,372 – less than that of Nicola Sturgeon who earned £163,229, even if she subsequently returned a chunk of that back.
Second, while ministerial pay has been frozen, no such restraint applies to the pay of members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) including those in Sturgeon’s own party. Indeed, just three months ago in December 2021, MSPs saw their pay increased by 3.4 per cent meaning that should any SNP minister quit or resign from the government they can earn the new figure of £66,662 per year.
And finally, no such restraint has been exhibited by the SNP in Westminster, where the party’s MPs are preparing to take up the salary increase in a fortnight’s time. If Nicola Sturgeon really wants to lead by example and save some taxpayers’ cash, why doesn’t she tell her colleagues down in London to defer the pay rise too?
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