Last week’s unveiling of the pay for Special Advisors of the new Government revealed one of David Cameron chief advisors; Andy Coulson is paid more than the Lib Dem Deputy PM Nick Clegg and only a few thousand less than the Prime Minister.
According to the Independent ‘The former News of the World editor, who was drafted in to run Mr Cameron's media strategy in 2007, receives £140,000 a year as director of communications at No 10, according to Cabinet Office figures unmasking the pay given to Whitehall's army of 61 special advisers.
While the figure is more than the £134,565 paid to the Deputy Prime Minister and all other Cabinet ministers, it represents a huge pay cut from the annual salary of £275,000 Mr Coulson earned as the director of communications for the Conservative Party. A government source said Mr Coulson had always been clear he would be happy to take a pay cut should the Tories win the election.’
Downing Street is home to 18 political advisers, who are paid from the public purse. Unlike other civil servants, all special advisers are allowed to give political briefings on behalf of their ministers. Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron's strategy chief, earns £90,000, well below the six-figure income he had been paid by the Conservative Party. Senior Tory sources said neither Mr Coulson nor Mr Hilton earned any extra income from the party as their contracts had been terminated. Gabby Bertin, Mr Cameron's spokeswoman, earns £80,000. Lena Pietsch, who does the same job for Mr Clegg, earns the same amount.
The figures, released were part of the Government's drive to inject more transparency into Whitehall, showed the total bill for special advisers was £4.9m, almost £1.9m less than under Gordon Brown's premiership. The number of advisers has also been cut from the 78 that were working under Labour at the end of March, to the 68 posts made available by the Tories. Seven positions have yet to be filled.
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