British MPs likely to get 40,000-pound salary hike

London: British members of parliament could see their annual salaries increased by as much as £40,000 (Dh290,425) in turn for giving up expenses allowances for second homes, the Sunday Times reported.

The proposed increase would translate into about £24,000 after tax and would be roughly equal to the maximum currently allowed for expenses related to a second home.

The Sunday Times said the plan was one of three possible options to be put forward by a committee of MPs chaired by the speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin.

MPs earn just under £62,000 a year and can claim up to £24,000 with receipts to help with the costs of running both a constituency and a London home.

The committee launched the review of MPs expenses after a Conservative MP Derek Conway was found to have been paying his son from his expenses.

A John Lewis list - detailing scores of items from coffee machines to new bathrooms claimed for by MPs - also increased public pressure to clean up the system. The committee is due to report its recommendations shortly.