Labour and SNP politicians question why the Queen is gettting so much more money at a time of austerity
The Queen has been awarded a 66% pay rise to fund a 369m 10-year refit of Buckingham Palace, after the prime minister and chancellor agreed that an increase in the sovereign grant was the best way to fund urgent repairs.
Officials warned there was a risk of a potential catastrophic building failure if the repairs were not carried out, but backbench Labour and Scottish National party politicians questioned why the monarch was getting so much more money at a time of austerity.
The refurbishment, the biggest undertaken on the property since the second world war, will renew the palaces 33-year-old boilers, 100 miles of electrical cable, some of it 60 years old, and 20 miles of lead and cast iron pipework.
The Queen will not move out; it had been previously thought she would.
Labours MP for Stockton North, Alex Cunningham, said the plans highlighted the disparity in public funding between the south of England and the north-east. I have always respected the fact that we have a royal family, but I know they also have vast wealth and I dont know what sort of contributions they will be making towards this project, he said.
SNP MP Paul Monaghan said it was incredible that the government was ready to spend such large sums on Buckingham Palace while seeking to cut the number of Scotlands MPs from 59 to 53 in part to save money.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/18/buckingham-palace-to-undergo-370m-refurbishment