It’s the safe Labour seat every would-be MP wants – and one candidate is so keen he has offered to do it for half the salary and no perks.
The battle to replace veteran Wolverhampton politician Ken Purchase took a fresh twist today after former city councillor Milkinder Jaspal pledged to stand and take a pay cut of £26,000 if he wins.
Mr Purchase, who is standing down at the next general election, was last returned for Wolverhampton North East with a majority of 8,156 votes, making his seat an attractive option for potential successors.
The 69-year-old’s place in the House of Commons has been eyed up by a range of Labour members from local party stalwarts to big hitters in trade unions.
Mr Jaspal, who lost his Heath Town council seat in May after serving for 17 years, today labelled MPs as “underworked and overpaid” and told the Express & Star he would only pay himself £35,000 rather than the standard £61,000 salary, go without a second home, and refuse any trips abroad.
If the 48-year-old gets selected and wins the election, he would be the lowest paid MP in the country and be one of only a handful of ethnic minority Members of Parliament.
But he faces a tough scrap to win over the selectors, as five other Labour candidates have already announced their intention to go for it.
Mr Jaspal said: “MPs are underworked and overpaid and the job they do is actually valued higher than it should be. I think they all need to accept lower wages and start living in the real world.
“I will make some pledges that I will stick to and hopefully that will help me get selected. One of them is that I will only accept a salary of £35,000 instead of the £61,000.
“The remaining £26,000 will be spent on projects in the community until it is all gone. I also will not be claiming a second home allowance because I don’t need to.
“I already have a home in Wolverhampton and I think many MPs are abusing the system because they’ve already paid off mortgages and still claim.
“I will also pledge not to employ members of my family, and not employ more than two people to work for me.
“That alone will save another £40,000 in expenses.
“And I will not take part in any of these foreign exchange trips either.
“These are the things I will be fighting my campaign upon.”
The Wolverhampton North East parliamentary seat has been held by Mr Purchase since 1992.
Despite it being one of the safest seats in the country, the Conservatives won six out of seven council seats in the constituency in the May local elections and gained 50 per cent of the vote.
Last October the MP revealed his intention to step down at the next general election.
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