Anti-austerity champion Jeremy Corbyn accepts an 85% pay rise to £125,000 AND a taxpayer-funded official car

   The hard-line socialist leader earned £67,060 a year as a backbench MP
   But Mr Corbyn is entitled to a £58,000 increase as leader of the opposition
   He had said it was 'up for discussion' if he would take the pay increase
   The committed cyclist has also agreed to take a taxpayer-funder car


Labour's anti-austerity leader Jeremy Corbyn has accepted an 85 per cent pay increase – taking his salary to £125,000, it was confirmed this morning.

The hard-line socialist earned £67,060 a year as a backbench MP, but is entitled to a £58,000 increase as leader of the opposition.

Mr Corbyn, a keen cyclist who refused to conduct an interview in a car during the leadership election because it was environmentally unfriendly, has also accepted a state-funded official driver.

He had previously said that it was 'up for discussion' whether or not he would take the pay increase and official car.

The salary for opposition leader was cut by more than £6,000 at the request of Ed Miliband.

Mr Corbyn, an arch republican, is also set to visit Buckingham Palace within weeks to join the Queen's Privy Council. To do so he must kneel before the Queen and take an oath of loyalty.

The 66-year-old today sought to shore up his leadership by tearing up the rulebook at Prime Minister's Questions.


Well no matter what one may think of the individual and his qualifications/aptitude to hold the position as leader of the opposition, it's actually the salary that goes with the job. Who among us here from the wealthiest to the poorest would not accept the better pay that goes with a huge promotion? Let's hope, however, that he realizes quickly that there is also a responsibility to behave like the leader of the opposition and not some militant activist.  Lets see what happens in the future.

Corbyn.....a massive disappointment already, handing his leadership tasks to bully boy union supporting louts, and allowing others to define his leadership. He leads from behind, and doesn't appear to have the powerful mind his supporters all boasted about. More and more, he shows his age and increasing confusion.

He will not be earning that money for long as he is completely wrong for this role. He is from the past and belongs in the past. Not to sing the National Anthem was disgusting. He does not dress the part or have any presentation that shows he has leadership skills. He in no way should be leading the Labour Party or any Party. He is a boring, beige and cheap dressing individual who seems to think he is something when in fact he is nothing. Will never watch him speak after Prime Ministers Questions Time as again what he delivered was boring and you could see other members almost falling asleep.

Unlike Cameron and Osborn and a whole host of Tory MPs, Crobyn is not a multi-millionaire. He is the Leader of the Opposition and this is the official salary for the job. At least he's trying to do something for those on low wages - nurses, healthcare workers, fire fighters, those on zero hours contracts, etc.

I like how different he is and that he is mixing it up a bit in the government. Its about time they had their easy lives mixed up. But at the same time. I do think Labour will get into power again for a decade because of it. Either that or everyone will vote for him to prove a point.

What difference does it make, they're all much the same only there to line their own pockets not to represent the people. Country is going to the dogs yet the people in power do nothing to stop it and doesn't matter what party they are, most are on the take or fiddling their expenses whilst the working class people of this country struggle to make ends meet.

Agree with him or not what is true is the guy seems to be the real deal a politician who sticks by his convictions there's no BS with him he isn't interested in looking slick and churning out pointless soundbites like the rest of them and this is a totally alien concept to the modern political elite who right now don't seem know how to handle him other than take pot shots at him, like Farage he says what he see's and that's a very rare thing in politics these days it also a breath of fresh political air and one that's long overdue.

How absolutely refreshing, as a republican and patriot of this country it is fabulous to see a leader refusing to sing the national anthem. People just sing along as an automatic thing to do without even questioning the words, but why should we sing a song to a monarch, I want to sing a song that represents my patriotism to my country and my fellow man, a song that would represent the great and the good that this country has produced and maybe if we chose a new national anthem we could include in the anthem the sacrifices that our armed forces have made for us, so we never forget that every time we sing we pay homage to them and not a royal family.

I do not agree with many things Jeremy Corbyn stands for but the way he conducted himself throughout the Labour Leadership campaign and in his first few days in the House of Commons I have been impressed. Even though, many, like me, could never support some of his policies he does at least offer an alternative view, also judging by the bad press that most papers are giving him it would seem that quietly he has the Conservatives worried as he could be the catalyst that makes people think about what is actually happening in the UK and begin to question the way the country is currently being run.

As for not singing the National Anthem that is down to personal choice, my choice not being a Royalist is not to, but that is not to say I disrespect the country I come from.

Is anyone surprised? It still stuns me how so many people still believe these guys represent the average working man......Labour have been lining their own pockets for decades. They are not alone, we all know the Tories, Lib Dems and yes even UKIP do the exact same, yet certain sections of society seem utterly blind to it when it comes to Labour....We need a massive shake up of our democratic system, quite frankly, our system does not work, you see the house of commons and its like a bunch of school kids on break. We really should look at better systems, such as those used extremely successfully in countries like Denmark. There are very good reasons why it is the happiest nation on Earth. Its time for a shake up. Nothing against Corbyn and I hope he shakes the system.

On a slightly different note I never believed for one moment he would support leaving the EU. Although it was voiced due to his earlier stance on the EU, I did wonder if this stance was being promoted to regain the Labour voters they lost to UKIP, lets be fair here UKIP did really well. But on balance being a professional politician, and that is what he is, as I don't buy the ordinary man of the people with integrity and principles, he's a professional politician of 30+ years, there was more votes to be gained by bashing the banks, lots of good sound bites, but in reality it be a disaster for the treasury. Banks being commercial organizations will move.

I hope he is not bullied into singing God Save the Queen if he does not feel he can do so with integrity. I also believe that it is disingenuous of his opponents - and even some of his colleagues - to suggest that it is necessary for him to sing the anthem in order to show proper respect for those who fought for their country, as the two issues are essentially separate. It should be perfectly possible to disagree quietly and respectfully on the issue of the anthem without it being blown up into a huge issue or insinuating that his republican viewpoint is in any way intended as a slight on the veterans. Indeed, there is no sign that Corbyn was trying to impose his views on others regarding the anthem, and if anything, it is some of his critics who are starting to look undignified over this. I say give him a chance.