With student loan repayments, that's £1,780 a month take home. Shelter suggests someone's rent is unaffordable if they need to spend over a third of their take home pay on rent. I third of £1780 is a roughly £580. Take a look on Spareroom to see what £580 gets you in London

If you are content with a box room with only room for a single bed in it, you might be able find somewhere in Zone 3. This room in Leyton is best option I could fine.

If you want a room large enough to fit a double bed in it. You’ll be looking at Zone 4 or beyond. And even then options are slim and let’s beyond 6 months are tough to find. Remember again, you’re renting A ROOM. These will all be flat-shares with 3 or 4 other strangers.

Just seen another advert from an MP offering 25K for a London-based role. Most adverts say ‘in line with IPSA guidance/pay scales’ and it’s common for MPs to offer wages at the bottom of the allowed pay scale.

@Layo_FH A quick search shows Liz Kendall advertising a similar position for £23k in 2010, which would be just shy of £34k adjusted for inflation.

@Mr_John_Oxley In 2023, anything under £24K for someone in the PRS in London, is poverty wages. The London Living Wage for a 40 hour week is £24.8K Even putting aside the importance of the role of MPs’ staff, it is shocking.

@Layo_FH That's less than I earned doing the same job 10 years ago. Not separating staff/office costs from expenses remains totally ridiculous and incentivises this kind of thing

@JTaylor7062 Shocking isn’t it

@Layo_FH This is the standard that it's at now. What are you suggesting gets done? They can't start laying off staff. The only option that leaves is increasing MPs staffing expenses and good luck getting that past the tabloids.

@jacobfcroft Pay MPs more. Pay their staff way way more. Expect MPs to do a lot more scrutinising and legislating, more normal hours, and far less ribbon-cutting and casework. It’s the hill I will die on. And it’s a war that needs to be had with the tabloids and the public.

@Layo_FH What's the equivalent rate for someone working for a US Senator?

@Layo_FH For context, my first job in London (2007) - as a parliamentary assistant at the City of London Corporation - paid £24,000, and that was pretty poor then. Adjusted for inflation - and not taking into account London's uniquely expensive housing - that should be £38,500 today.

@Layo_FH Getting to verbally abuse your underpaid staff is one of the perks of being a MP, tbf.

@Layo_FH It's basically an "internship" for people with wealthy parents.

@Layo_FH Sorry to burst your bubble but I was paid £13k a year for the same job (with two master’s degrees and experience) which is an inflation adjusted salary of 22,330.87 now. If you don’t like it then demand more “MP expenses”, since that’s what this is.

@Layo_FH No idea why anyone would want to work in London for under six figures

@Layo_FH What am I missing? The London Real Living Wage is £23,300.

@Layo_FH They need to make sure only a better class of person can afford to take the job 🤫

@AshleyBrownBB12 Shocking. Adjusted for inflation thats £22.4K if you were interested