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First Minister of Scotland John Swinney<\/p>\nThe First Minister held a press conference in Bute House on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
11:01, 14 Apr 2025Updated 11:10, 14 Apr 2025<\/p>\n
First Minister of Scotland John Swinney<\/p>\n
John Swinney has defended the \u00a320,000 pay rise<\/a> for Scottish Government ministers as “fair”.<\/p>\n The First Minister said it was a ” principle of fairness” for ministers to receive the pay bump<\/a> when other people’s bills are rising.<\/p>\n Swinney also said that his ministers were “entitled” to the rise which takes a Cabinet Secretary<\/a>\u2019s salary to \u00a3116,125.<\/p>\n It comes after swingeing council tax rises<\/a> of up to 15.6% came into force in April.<\/p>\n The FM was speaking <\/a>during a press conference at Bute House on Monday morning.<\/p>\n He said: “The decision I took at the start of the tax year, which I think is the appropriate point and I communicated it openly to parliament…<\/p>\n “I’ve maintained the 16-year freeze on ministerial pay, which I think is necessary.<\/p>\n “But I’ve applied the principle of fairness that I think all members of the Scottish Parliament should be able to take the salary to which they are entitled.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: SNP’s James Dornan charged with attempted murder as teen as MSP says he’s triggered by Netflix Adolescence<\/a>READ MORE: British Steel takeover shows Grangemouth refinery can be saved, claims Scottish Labour MP<\/a><\/p>\n He continued: “I’ve reflected on my own position as the decision maker, and I’ve decided, so that people don’t think that I’ve taken a decision from which I’d benefit personally, that I’ll leave my salary, MSP and ministerial, frozen.<\/p>\n “So there’s no sense that I’m benefiting from a decision that I believe it is fair to take for others.”<\/p>\n He added: “The decision I’ve taken is one that just applies a principle of fairness across all Members of the Scottish Parliament.<\/p>\n “I think that’s the right decision to take so that Members of the Scottish Parliament are able to draw the salary to which they’re entitled as MSPs.<\/p>\n “The bit that I can influence, which is ministerial pay, has remained frozen.<\/p>\n “No other ministerial pay arrangement has been frozen across the United Kingdom for 16 years, other than the Scottish Government’s.”<\/p>\n Ministers<\/a> have two elements to their salary – Government and MSP – and it is the latter part that is rising.<\/p>\n This means the partial lifting of the freeze will see the salaries of junior ministers rise to \u00a3100,575 and \u00a3116,125 for Swinney\u2019s Cabinet <\/a>colleagues.<\/p>\n In April, council tax rates<\/a> and water bills soared in every area of the country.<\/p>\n Thousands of Scots were also plunged into higher income tax brackets and energy bills<\/a> also rose.<\/p>\n