The majority of Manx politicians have chosen to reject a scheduled pay increase due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Politicians’ pay is negotiated by the Public Services Commission and this was the last in a three-year cycle of pay increases.

Lawmakers were due to get a 2.75% increase to their salaries but, with many people losing significant portions of their income and unemployment having doubled, many politicians have decided they should not accept it.

The Council of Ministers, who receive a minimum salary of over £65,000 before the tax free and no-questions-asked expenses of £7,403.60 that all Tynwald member receive, had decided they would not be accepting the pay rise.

And many backbench MHKs and MLCs have decided to follow suit in rejecting that 2.75% increase to the basic salary of £43,479 that all members are currently paid, before any departmental or board top ups.

The Examiner contacted all Tynwald members who are not ministers, on Monday morning to ask whether or not they would be accepting the pay increase.

Rob Callister (Onchan), Daphne Caine and Martyn Perkins (Garff), Tim Baker (Ayre and Michael), Bill Shimmins (Middle), Ralph Peake (Douglas North), Julie Edge (Onchan), Clare Barber (Douglas East), Ann Corlett (Douglas Central), Lawrie Hooper (Lib Vannin, Ramsey) and Jason Moorhouse (Castletown, Arbory and Malew), all confirmed by the time the Examiner went to press that they would be refusing the increase.

Mr Hooper said: ’I should make clear that I am not in favour of politicians interfering with their own pay, which should be set by an independent body.

’If CoMin want to make a real impact they should immediately endorse the independent review into pay which gets rid of the untaxed expenses allowance and sets up a more equitable system of pay going forward.’

Mr Baker said: ’I believe this is a personal matter to which individual Tynwald members should respond however they see fit.

’I can confirm that recognising the circumstances that we are in I am happy to follow the lead set by the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers.’

Mrs Barber confirmed her decision to reject the increase and said she was donating this month’s expenses money to the Manx Solidarity Fund.

She added: ’I would also like to confirm that any work I undertake at the hospital as a nurse will be unpaid, and simply using my skills for our community, as we all must, at this challenging time.’

Ms Edge said: ’I believe that it should have been a different approach and did raise my concerns at one of the first briefings about what package of measures were being put in for the island.’

She said she was the only member there who asked if Tynwald members would take a percentage cut as a sign of solidarity.

The Onchan MHK said she wanted clarification on where the money saved would be spent instead.

Mr Peake, a member of the Treasury, said that with the pandemic and ’the exceptional costs we have incurred, now was not the time implement regular increases in salary’.

He added: ’A great many cost items would have to be reviewed throughout Government, to prepare for a sustainable future for the Isle of Man.’

Legislative Council members Kate Lord-Brennan, Marlene Maska, Rob Mercer, Jane Poole-Wilson, Kerry Sharpe and Peter Greenhill also confirmed they have rejected the pay increase.

The only MHK who said he would accept the rise was Douglas East MHK Chris Robertshaw.

He told the Examiner: ’As a member who has consistently over the years not taken the departmental increase of over £10,000 per annum on principle, I now - and for the same reason of principle - will be taking the increase as anything else is virtue signalling.’

The three-year pay deal covering 3,400 civil servants, government manual and craft workers and Tynwald members, was approved by the public services unions at the end of 2018 and was backdated to April that year.

***Due to a mistake on our reporter's part, Liberal Vannin leader Kate Costain (Douglas South) was not contacted before this article was published.

Miss Costain said: 'I am accepting the increase but will donate it to a local charity where some immediate benefit will be felt.'

We would like to apologise to Miss Costain for this error and thank her for her help in correcting it.