Rishi Sunak will accept an inflation-busting 5.5% increase in his salary for being an MP, No 10 has indicated. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has recommended MPs’ salaries rise to £91,346 in April, from £86,584. The uplift is higher than the rate of consumer price inflation, which was 4% in January. It is significantly more than the 2.9% increase that MPs received last year, against what Ipsa called an extremely difficult backdrop. Asked whether Sunak would accept the pay rise, the prime minister’s spokesperson said all Commons ministers would receive the rise awarded by Ipsa. The independent watchdog, established in 2009 after the MPs’ expenses scandal, said the pay uplift was in line with one recently agreed for the senior civil service. Sunak’s spokesperson said government ministers had opted not to accept increases to their ministerial salaries, which are separate. No 10 said: “For the government’s part, I would point out that ministers are already voluntarily waiving part of their salaries, forgoing any pay increase to their ministerial salaries, which means that salaries of ministers in the Commons have not increased since 2010.” According to government data, the prime minister’s salary in 2022-23, the financial year in which Sunak entered office, was £80,807, of which £75,440 was accepted. This sum is paid on top of the salary the prime minister receives for being an MP. A summary of Sunak’s taxable UK income published by No 10 last month showed he paid more than £500,000 in tax in 2022-23 from an income of £2.2m. The prime minister made £1.8m in capital gains, up from £1.6m in 2021-22, and received £290,000 in other interest and dividends. All of the investment income and capital gains came from a US-based investment fund listed as a blind trust, according to the summary. The £139,477 he received from his MP and prime ministerial salaries made up 7% of his income. His total earnings over the last four years are about £7m. Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, whose father is a billionaire co-founder of the Indian IT company Infosys, have a combined wealth estimated at about £529m, according to 2023’s Sunday Times rich list. The prime minister has faced accusations of being out of touch with people struggling with the cost of living. The Ipsa chair, Richard Lloyd, said: “Serving as an MP should not be reserved to those wealthy enough to fund it themselves. We believe our decision recognises the vital role MPs play in our democracy and considers the continued economic challenges facing the country. “We are committed to supporting a parliament that reflects our society, where people from all walks of life can decide to become MPs.”