- Brought to book… - 21st September 2026
- Money go round - 21st September 2026
- More check, check, check again… - 18th September 2026
During 43 years in journalism, (when he was trained to use clear and simple language, avoiding jargon), for our Editor Welshman Phil Parry, political stories have often dominated, as leading politicians used dubious methods to supplement their income, and this is now put centre stage by the storm of controversy over the record donations to Reform UK.
There have been any number of them.
Let’s, though, look at just one, which involves a one-time senior Welsh politician.
Keith Best was a diligent Member of Parliament (MP) for Anglesey from 1979 until 1983, and for the renamed Ynys Môn from 1983 to 1987, but resigned his seat following a revelation by the Labour Research Department that he had made multiple share applications in the BT share offer.
I am certainly not saying this was the right thing to do, but he was a very hard-working MP, and I remember getting a story out of him, after ringing him up in 1986.
Many of the articles about these politicians’ questionable actions, have at their heart their salary, because (believe it or not) they are paid very little compared with other law-makers around the world.
This fundamental fact has been put centre stage for me (perhaps bizarrely) by news about the record donations of £72 million to Reform UK by two cryptocurrencies billionaires.
It is not EXACTLY the same, because these are donations to a party not an individual, but it has highlighted the issue, and, perhaps, we need to see through the screaming headlines of criticism, and put the whole thing in context.
The Economist, for example, has said there’s not ENOUGH money in UK politics, and it has published: “…by promising unheard-of quantities of money to Reform, both (the donors) have done their country a good turn.
“…British politics needs money. Last year the Donkey Sanctuary, a charity in Devon that cares for down-on-their-luck equines, received more than every major political party combined. So did the Royal Opera House. Or compare Britain with America. Reform’s £72m windfall is worth less than the money spent on this year’s Republican Senate primary election in Texas”.
Perhaps endorsing this, is the relatively paltry sums we pay our politicians.
I appreciate this is a difficult and controversial area, because certainly compared with a welder, say, the sums are very big, but when compared with other law makers, the salaries are not very big at all.
The base salary for Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru (WP/SC) members (MSs) in the 2026/27 term will be £79,817 – up £12,168 from 2020/21.
MS’s base salaries are indexed to annual changes in average Welsh earnings, as published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (based in Newport) each November, and for 2026/27 this figure is 4.5 per cent, which equates to an increase of around £3,400 following the election on May 7.
Those who hold an additional office will also receive a secondary amount on top of their base salary, designed to reflect the additional work and responsibilities taken on with the role.
The First Minister of Wales (FMW), receives the highest additional salary at an extra £94,783 on top of the base salary, which brings the total to £174,600 – an increase of more than £25,000 since 2020/21.
The Presiding Officer (PO), or the Llywydd, also receives an additional salary – for 2026/27 this will stand at £51,132, taking their total to £130,949.
Welsh Government (WG) Ministers, Deputy Ministers, the Counsel General, Deputy PO, Commissioners, Committee Chairs, Business Committee Members, and group leaders, also receive an additional salary.
At a UK level, the basic annual salary for a Member of Parliament (MP) is £98,599.
These are big sums on the face of it.
Howevermost members of the US Congress receive an annual base salary of $174,000, and certain people there earn even MORE!
These include:
- The Speaker of the House, who receives $223,500 per year
- The Senate Majority Leader, who gets $193,400 per year
- The Senate Minority Leader, earning the same amount
- The House Majority Leader, also receiving this
- The House Minority Leader, getting $193,400 per year as well
- The President pro tempore of the Senate, getting the same
So you have to pay to have a democracy.
It’s sums like these that form the backdrop to the ‘record’ donations to Reform UK. and The Economist declaring: “…both (the donors) have done their country a good turn”.
The memories of Phil’s astonishing career in journalism (when political stories were key) as he was gripped by the rare neurological disabling condition, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in another book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order the book now!
Tomorrow – recent right wing unrest around the world against immigrants, has focused attention on how FEW people from overseas actually live in Wales, as well as the economic and cultural benefits they bring to the country, amid concern that the demonstrations might spread.
