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Scottish ministers get £19k pay rise as freeze eased
Apr 14, 2025
Scottish ministers are to see their salaries rise by more than £19,000 after the government partially ended a voluntary pay freeze that has lasted 16 years.
The change will mean junior ministers will be paid £100,575 a year while cabinet secretaries will receive £116,125.
First Minister John Swinney would have seen his pay go up to nearly £155,000 but he has declined to take the rise, meaning it will remain at £135,605.
Opposition parties said the increases were not justified by performance and were a "reward for failure".
The voluntary pay freeze for Scottish ministers was introduced under Alex Salmond in 2009 following a global financial crisis and economic downturn.
Ministers' salaries are made up of two elements - their pay as an MSP and a separate ministerial salary reflecting their responsibilities within government.
Since the start of the freeze, they have declined to take their full combined pay entitlement - with about £2.2m of public spending saved as a result since 2009.
The Scottish government said the freeze on the ministerial element would continue, but from 1 April ministers would receive their full MSP entitlement - now set at £74,507 - resulting in an overall rise in the amount they receive.
Scottish politicians' pay
RolePrevious salaryNew salary
MSP£72,196£74,507
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