GMB Union, the largest union for MPs' staff with over 1,500 active members working for Members of Parliament, has welcomed the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’s (IPSA) provisional staffing budget increases for 2026-27[1].

IPSA’s plans include a general 3.5 per cent cost-of-living uplift for MPs’ staff and higher minimum and maximum pay ranges across bands from 1 April 2026. IPSA has also proposed introducing an additional 2 per cent uplift for Executive 1 and 2 roles including caseworkers, many of whom are women.

This comes just months after a GMB report exposed ‘inexcusable’ pay gaps for women, non-white staff, and disabled staff[2]. Lisa Gillmore, GMB MPs’ and Peers’ Staff Branch President and Senior Parliamentary Researcher, said: “IPSA’s decision to target additional pay rises at caseworker grades is an important acknowledgment that frontline, constituency-based staff, many of whom are women, have been undervalued for too long. 

“This is a step in the right direction, but it must be the start, not the finish. Parliament needs to commit to GMB’s One Parliament One Employer campaign, so staff are not trapped in a fragmented system of 650 separate employers with uneven standards and pay practices. 

“We need transparent pay progression, fair recruitment practices, and a Parliament where women, non-white staff, and disabled staff are not paid less for comparable work.”

 [1] IPSA’s provisional 2026–27 package includes:

  • a 5 per cent uplift to MPs’ staffing budgets
  • a 3.5 per cent cost-of-living increase 
  • a ring-fenced £4,000 per-office staff development budget 
  • additional centrally held staffing support fund
  • a minimum pay policy for all roles
  • an additional 2 per cent uplift to minimum and maximum pay ranges for Executive 1 and 2 roles

The 3.5 per cent cost-of-living uplift applies from 1 April 2026 unless an MP opts out and mandatory adjustments will apply where pay falls below revised band minimums. IPSA’s proposals are subject to agreement by the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

[2] Report available at 

https://www.gmblondon.org.uk/assets/media/documents/GMB_PayInequality_Parliament_WEB_FINAL.pdf