Theresa May breaks her promise on special advisers’ pay as Downing Street continues David Cameron’s legacy of big salaries for top aides

• Theresa May has broken her promise to introduce a salary cap of £72,000 on salaries for special advisers, as new figures reveal the Government employs 27 special advisers with salaries above £72,000
  
• The combined salaries of all special advisers above the threshold set by May amounts to over £2.5m.
  
• Theresa May’s key aide Nick Timothy has seen his salary almost double from £74,000 to £140,000 since he last worked for May in the Home Office. The Prime Minister herself gets paid £149,000 annually.
  
• The new figures also reveal that four Cabinet Ministers employ more special advisers than the maximum set out by the Ministerial Code
  

Tom Watson said:

“Theresa May came in to Downing Street promising to put ordinary people first and as part of that promised to cap Special Adviser pay. She has broken that promise.

“While most people are having to tighten their belts under the Tories, it’s a completely different story for those in Theresa May’s inner circle. Some of these pay rises are eye-watering. It shows that for the Tories it’s one rule for them and another for everyone else.”