Public-sector pay: Fury at Irvine's £22,000 rise

Should Lord Irvine of Lairg wish to indulge in a spot of DIY this weekend, he will be able to buy to an extra 74 rolls of his favourite Pugin wallpaper.

The Lord Chancellor, famed for his taste in interior design, was awarded a £22,000 pay rise yesterday, more than four times the rate of inflation.

The increase is by far the biggest in the public sector and secured Lord Irvine's position as the highest-paid government minister – and judge – in Britain. Last week it emerged that he will also receive a pension package worth £2m from the state when he retires.

While Lord Irvine's pay rises by more than 12 per cent, to £202,000, teachers and forces personnel were given rises broadly in line with the cost of living.

Downing Street said the awards were "firm but fair", while the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, warned it was essential to keep a lid on public-sector pay to stop inflation taking off.

The shadow Chancellor, Michael Howard, himself a barrister, described Lord Irvine's increase as "outrageous", adding: "There is clearly one rule for hard-working public servants and another for New Labour cronies. Some private soldiers on the way to the Gulf have been told they will receive less than an extra £500 a year. Yet Derry Irvine gets a £22,000-a-year increase."

John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB union, added: "I trust Lord Irvine will be supporting similar pay rises for other public-service workers."

The Senior Salaries Review Board put forward Lord Irvine's increase as a result of its decision to place the Lord Chief Justice's salary on a par with that of the Cabinet Secretary. The Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 1996 says the Lord Chancellor "must" receive £2,500 a year more than the Lord Chief Justice.

Lord Irvine, who has compared himself to Cardinal Wolsey, was once criticised for insisting on a £650,000 makeover of his residence in the House of Lords which included wallpaper to a design by AWN Pugin at £300 a roll. He suggested he could hardly kit out his quarters with any old rubbish from B&Q. His extra £22,000 means he will never need to skimp on wallpaper again.