[Kaz]

Story from Ananova

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, has been awarded a £22,000 pay rise.

The 12.6% increase is more than four times the inflation rate, and means his annual pay will go up by £22,691 to £202,736 from April 1.

It came as teachers were awarded a 2.9% rise, and Armed Forces personnel a basic increase of 3.2%.

In cash terms, Lord Irvine's increase is almost 50 times the £467 rise received by an Army private on the lowest pay band.

It is also more than five times the 2.25% awarded to other ministers and MPs, in line with the increase for senior civil servants.

Shadow chancellor Michael Howard described the award as "outrageous". He said: "There is clearly one rule for hard-working public servants and another for New Labour cronies.

"Some private soldiers on the way to the Gulf have been told they will receive less than an extra £500-a-year. Yet Derry Irvine gets a whopping £22,000-a-year increase. The need to tighten belts has clearly not been extended to the Lord Chancellor."

Downing Street said that all today's awards were the result of independent reviews. It described the public sector awards as "firm but fair".

The Fire Brigades Union, however, reacted angrily to Lord Irvine's pay rise. An FBU spokesman said: "The extra money he is receiving is more than the highest-paid firefighter receives in a year.

"They lecture us about the consequences of us seeking a fair pay rise and they have the cheek to fill their own pockets."

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Unbelievable!

All I can say is . . . .

One rule for the rich .................................. another for the ordinary working man/woman. I'd love to be EARNING £22,000 a year!

[Mairi]

Outrageous, Kaz. I'd love to be earning £22,000 a year too. This year, I had a 3.7% pay rise.