Viewers of ITV's Good Morning Britain were left outraged today (March 25) after learning that MPs are set to receive a £2,500 pay rise next month. This increase will bring their annual salary to £93,904, up from £91,346, and nearly £60,000 more than the average wage.

Presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid were joined in the studio by TV and radio presenter Daisy McAndrew and Guardian columnist Owen Jones to discuss the matter. Daisy expressed her opinion that MPs should be paid more, stating: "Our calibre, particularly in the last 30-40 years of MPs, has gone down dramatically, and I think that if we did pay them more, we would get a better calibre."

In contrast, Owen argued that politics needs more individuals who have personally experienced the issues facing the UK, saying: "That's the sort of people we need." He also pointed out that some of the most effective politicians from 30-40 years ago were on significantly lower pay than current MPs, reports Lancs Live.

A video of the discussion was shared on ITV's official Good Morning Britain X account, sparking a heated debate in the comments section. Jon Townsend described the pay rise as "sickening to say the least!" Jamesfawcett20 said: "It shouldn't be a debate, it should be a no. Everyone else is having cuts or struggling."

Anthlpn added: "It's morally wrong and sends out an entitled message to the public, who incidentally put them there." One commenter, PammyG, strongly disagreed: "In the current economic climate. No they should not get a pay rise ever!!"

Julian Yaqub acknowledged both perspectives: "Part of me agrees that MPs salaries should be commensurate but all the points Owen Jones makes are equally valid." Kerrybiddle added: "Can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with @owenjonesjourno . We should be having people in politics that have actually lived through these issues we have as a country. Then they actually know what it is like!"

The decision to increase salaries was made by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which considers the compensation of public sector employees. According to IPSA, the 2.8% pay rise corresponds to the suggested rate for other government employees, and it's just above the current inflation rate of 2.5%, with experts predicting further inflation growth this year.

Recently, Richard Lloyd, IPSA's chairperson, acknowledged that public compensation holds great significance to the nation and expressed the need to transparently communicate the necessity behind parliamentarian remuneration and IPSA's decision-making process.

Mr Lloyd said: "We know when we publish our proposal and that goes public, we will get a very strong reaction from the media and the public, I can summarise that reaction as often being, either pay them nothing or pay them much more. I think we're ending somewhere in between those two.

"But I think understanding the pressures on MPs, kinds of roles they are playing, the degree to which remuneration affects people's decision to stand in the first place, and also how we can ensure that we are reflecting the experiences of citizens in an appropriate way, setting an appropriate level, those things we consult on informally and engage with people on informally throughout the year, in addition to our statutory consultation process."

In December, NHS staff and educators expressed their outrage over ministers' proposed 2.8% pay increase, raising concerns that the nation might face another wave of strikes. Unions criticised the raise as insufficient and unfunded, indicating that public services would need to make cuts in other areas to accommodate the pay hike.

The Unison trade union remarked that the proposed increase was "barely above the cost of living". The Association of School and College Leaders, representing teachers, described the announcement as "extremely disappointing".

Nurses labelled the "offensive" pay rise as providing as little as £2 more per day—"less than the cost of a coffee"—and warned that it jeopardises the government's plans to revitalize the NHS. They cautioned that if these issues remain unaddressed, "there could well be more" strikes on the horizon.