For most of Britain's Parliament’s history, MPs weren’t paid and instead relied upon a private income or the patronage of local landowners/gentry to be able to afford to be an MP. It was only in 1911 that MPs received a salary for the first time...

The Financial Times reports that the pay of the FTSE 100 chief executives has hit an average of almost £5mn after an increase of £560,000 last year. AstraZeneca boss Sir Pascal Soriot remained the best paid, with £16.9mn.