LEFT Labour MSP Carol Mochan said today a £2,000 pay rise for Scottish politicians would be “disgraceful,” urging her fellow MSPs to hand the rise over to charity.

Following a freeze in pay in 2021, the cross-party Scottish Parliament corporate body set out a proposed increase of 3.4 per cent on Tuesday.

The increase would see the basic salary for MSPs go from £64,470 last year to £66,662 in April 2022. The proposed increase in funding also allows for a rise of 4.5 per cent for MSPs’ staff.

Ms Mochan said it would be insulting to accept such a raise while care staff are denied the £15 an hour they deserve and the public continue to suffer amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

She said: “I have been fighting to get carers £15 an hour since the day I was elected.

“Not only did the Scottish government stop that happening, the pay increase they offered was derisory. 

“For me to turn around and then accept a pay increase for myself above even what Scottish Parliament staff will receive would be an insult. 

“People across Scotland have lost jobs, businesses, had to cancel holidays, and in some cases watch their loved ones die.

“We should not even be considering increasing MSP pay when that is the climate for the general public. 

“I will be handing this money over to charity and I hope others will do the same. It is the least we can do.”

The Star asked Holyrood parties whether their MSPs would do the same, but received no response.