Petition · past parliament
Pay MPs basic living allowance when not sitting in parliament
Rejected
18 signatures
What the petition asks
We the British public wish to express our deep regret at the government's decision to freeze the wages of NHS staff. We feel the most honourable thing to do is for MPs to also adhere to a pay freeze. MPs to be paid basic living allowance when not sitting in parliament.
As the government rightly suggests we are all in this together. The most respectful thing you could do as a government, is to lead the forefront of the movement by forfeiting your payrise to support the people you represent. Our nation is not a commodity and its people are not cattle. It would give faith to the people of this nation, its government leading by example, demonstrating the ability to live on a national minimum wage, unless they are actively sitting in parliament. No more empty seats
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
The UK Government and Parliament aren't responsible for setting MPs' pay. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is responsible for deciding on MPs' expenses and pay. IPSA is independent of both Parliament and Government.
You can find out more about IPSA here: https://www.theipsa.org.uk/about-us/
Donating money would be a decision for individual MPs, not the UK Government or Parliament.
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
You can find out more about IPSA here: https://www.theipsa.org.uk/about-us/
Donating money would be a decision for individual MPs, not the UK Government or Parliament.
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 17 May 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 26 May 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
18
Status
Rejected
Rejected
26 May 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.