The unpaid ministers in Brown’s austerity government - from Pink News - all the latest gay news from the gay community

The unpaid ministers in Brown's austerity government

By Tony Grew • October 6, 2008 - 13:41

Gordon Brown has reshuffled his ministers

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It has been billed as an austerity government, and the changes made by Gordon Brown to some ministerial teams have emphasised the focus on the financial crisis.

An unprecedented number of ministers now straddle two departments, and the new National Economic Council met for the first time this morning will all the solemnity of a war Cabinet.

That mood of belt-tightening has been reinforced with the release of the full government list by Downing St.

It reveals that the new Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Chris Bryant, is one of at least 12 members of the government who will be unpaid for their additional duties.

Quentin Davies, a former Tory MP who defected when Gordon Brown took office, and Kevan Jones are both unpaid for their new junior ministerial roles at the Ministry of Defence.

Paul Clark at Transport, Lord Drayson and Sion Simon at Innovation, Universities and Skills and Whips Barbara Keeley, Chris Mole, Baroness Farringdon, Lord Bach and Lord Brett will not be paid more.

Ministers who are in the Commons get their MP salary of £60,675, and an additional £30,280 as a Parliamentary Secretary, £25,637 as a junior Whip, £39,893 as a Minister of State and £76,904 as a Cabinet minister.

The Prime Minister is paid an additional £128,174, giving him a total salary of £188,849.

There are different arrangements for ministers and Whips in the Lords.

The new Financial Services Secretary, City businessman Paul Myners, will not receive a salary but will get a peerage.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward is also unpaid.

MPs Meg Munn, and Kim Howells are leaving the Foreign Office minister.

Other departing ministers are Lord Jones of Birmingham, Lord Rooker, Malcolm Wicks, Parmjit Dhanda, Tom Harris, Anne McGuire, James Plaskitt and Derek Twigg.

Three Government Whips have also lost their jobs: Baroness Crawley, Liz Blackman and Alison Seabeck.

Margaret Hodge is leaving temorarily on compassionate grounds of family illness and will return to Government in the spring.

Three Cabinet members left the government at this reshuffle: Defence Secretary Des Browne, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly and Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the Leader of the House of Lords.

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