I CAN accept the fact that our MPs have voted themselves a massive 26 per cent rise.

I suppose that if I was offered a three per cent rise or a 26 per cent rise, then I would obviously choose the 26 per cent.

However, what I can't abide is the sanctimonious drivel that some of them employ to justify voting for the big increase.

We have Jack Straw and Janet Anderson stating that their main reason for voting for the increase was to end the annual review of MPs voting on their own wage rises.

Why didn't they just say: "I wanted the extra money." That at least would be honest.

All credit to the other East Lancashire MPs, Greg Pope, Nigel Evans and Gordon Prentice, who thought of their country before lining their own pockets.

D PEARSON (MR), Rawstorne Street, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.