00:00Hello, yes, Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, has become the UK's highest paid politician after his salary as London Mayor rose to over £170,000, overtaking Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
00:20The £5,000 increase, which represents a 3.2% rise, puts him narrowly ahead of Starmer, who currently receives just under £169,000 combined MP and ministerial pay, though his total would be higher if he claimed the full allowance.
00:41Now, the rise is part of the local government pay settlement and was signed off through an independent process at the Greater London Authority, also known as the GLA.
00:56City Hall has also confirmed its staff numbers have grown by 9% in the past year to over 1,500, including 90 agency workers with departments such as Strategy and Communications, Housing and Land and Good Growth, seeing the largest of the increases.
01:17Senior officials and advisors continue to command significant salaries, with many earning above the £80,000 mark and now several on six-figure packages as well.
01:31Opposition politicians have criticised the expansion, with City Hall Conservatives arguing that funds should be directed to frontline services instead of what they describe as bloated bureaucracy.
01:46That's from the Tory party there.
01:48Khan's allies point out that his responsibilities have widened since he first took office, now covering housing skills, public health and emergency planning, alongside his core role of overseeing police and transport.
02:06But what do Londoners think of their mayor and how much he is getting paid and being a top earner in British politics?
02:14I didn't know he was having a pay rise. I think he should be well paid, but I'm not sure if he should be paid more than Keir Starmer.
02:24Not very happy, really. I mean, I think going along with a lot of the country, politicians get paid a hell of a lot for what they do, considering people in professions like doctors and scientists.
02:38Yeah, no, I think it's way over the top and it should be really much less.
02:44Sadiq Khan's ruined London. Yeah, it's all gone downhill, really. I'm actually a victim of knife crime myself on Upper Street.
02:52So, yeah, it's getting worse and worse day by day.
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