MPs should have a pay rise? What for? They obviously don’t need it to live off, what with their expenses and jobs on the side.

It would probably end up sitting in their bank accounts while the rest of us struggled on, trying to pay ever-increasing bills.

I’ve got a better idea – why not increase the minimum wage to £10 an hour. This would help people enormously, make it worthwhile for people to go to work and also get people off benefits like tax credits and raise their standard of living.

The employers should be given some sort of tax allowance to offset the cost.

This would then put the money into the pockets of people who would go out and spend it, rather than it going to the government in taxes, to be wasted on something like giving tax reductions to the rich or a rise in MPs’ wages.

This would do more good for the country than say, a high-speed rail line, which we would probably end up subsidising anyway.

Stan Melling, Lower Darwen.