EAST Lancashire's MPs have been awarded inflation-busting pay rises of three per cent.
All MPs and government ministers will receive the increases in line with the senior salaries review body recommendation for top civil servants.
Blackburn MP and Home Secretary Jack Straw, will see his salary rise by £2,906 from £96,887 to £99,793. His entitlement at the moment is £114,543 and would go up to £117,979 if he took it.
Currently, Cabinet ministers only take a proportion of their salaries, but a Downing Street spokesman said this policy would be re-examined in the light of next month's report, which is expected to propose a large increase for MPs. At the very least Blackburn MP Mr Straw would get that.
Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, senior government whip, will see his pay rise by £2,481 from £82,697 to £85,178. Film and tourism minister and MP for Rossendale and Darwen Janet Anderson will see her salary go up from £74,424 to £76,657.
Rank and file MPs -- including Burnley's Peter Pike, Pendle's Gordon Prentice and Ribble Valley's Nigel Evans -- will find their pay packets swelling by £1,451 from £48,371 to £49,822.
Inflation is currently two per cent. MPs' allowances will also rise by three per cent.
Prime Minister Tony Blair will now receive £116,339 a year against an entitlement of £163,418. Senior military officers and judges will get a 3.7 per cent increase -- the same as Britain's 210,000 rank and file servicemen and women.
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