There is a simple question at the heart of the sleaze scandal engulfing the British government. Should an MP’s role be a full-time job, or just a hobby?
Unlike most of us, MPs don’t get a contract or job description. They’re free to do almost whatever they like. And although they get £81,932 a year, there has always been confusion about whether this is a ‘salary’ or just an ‘allowance’.
In 1911, when MPs first started being paid, the government said: “It is not a remuneration, it is not a recompense, it is not even a salary. It is just an allowance.”
