FOLLOWING ten years of austerity which allowed the rich to get richer whilst the poorer got poorer and with child poverty rising, a £3k increase in MPs’ salaries is now being proposed. Presumably the Prime Minister is unable to afford a nanny on a salary of £150k.

This happening in the middle of an epidemic which is causing greater poverty to the poor when a majority of Tory MPs refused to extend free school meals beyond term time for the poorest children.

Our MPs say that the priority is the economy. Can I remind them that people are the first principle of consideration in the economic theory of studying the means of production and distribution of goods and services.

Alan Kelly, Ferryhill.