NICOLA Blackwood last night criticised a 10 per cent pay rise for MPs and pledged to instead donate the cash to community causes.

The Conservative MP for Oxford West and Abingdon was speaking after the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) confirmed annual pay for MPs would rise from £67,060 to £74,000.

It will be backdated to May 8, then adjusted for average earnings in the public sector, the regulator said.

The move came despite Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron writing to IPSA to express his concern about the pay rise, which he branded “unacceptable”.

Miss Blackwood told the Oxford Mail: “Increasing politicians’ pay has always been and always will be unpopular, but I think most sensible people recognise pay scales in all sectors have to keep up with the times.

“The solution IPSA have proposed is a sensible solution at some point, but it is not right to do this when we are having to take difficult decisions to deal with the deficit and public sector pay is restricted.

“MPs are not able to reject this pay rise, but we are able to donate it, so I will be looking for the best way to do that for the benefit of the local community.”

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith previously branded the rise as “clearly wrong”.

But Banbury MP Victoria Prentis said: “Any decision surrounding pay levels is entirely a matter for IPSA.”

Neither Wantage MP Ed Vaizey or Henley MP John Howell responded to requests for comment.