How much is the UK Prime Minister paid? Everything to know

The UK has had 56 Prime Ministers so far with each of these coming from various political parties like Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Party (now the Liberal Democrats).

The political leaning of this office is not the only thing that has altered over the years with the pay packet given to those in power also changing.

Who was the shortest-serving Prime Minister in the UK?

Liz Truss was the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history (Image: PA)

Liz Truss was the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history, having held the position for just 44 days in 2022.

The person who previously held the title was the Tory statesman George Canning, who spent 118 full days as prime minister in 1827 before dying in office.

There have been several prime ministers who for various reasons failed to last a year in the job.

They include two Conservative PMs in the past 100 years: Andrew Bonar Law, who racked up 211 days from 1922 to 1923 before resigning due to poor health, and Alec Douglas-Home, who managed 364 days in 1963-64 until losing a general election.

Rishi Sunak called a General Election for July 4 (Image: PA)

Recommended Reading: 

The last time Labour was in power in the UK as general election announced 

When was the last general election in the UK and what was the result?

How much is the British Prime Minister paid?

The Prime Minister is paid two separate salaries with one being for their role as an MP (£91,346 in 2024) and another for leading the government (£75,440).

Currently, the PM has a combined allowance of £166,786 but they do not need to claim all of this.

Does the Prime Minister pay tax on their salary?

According to the House of Commons website, MPs "pay the same rates of taxation and National Insurance as any other employed person."

This is also the case for the Prime Minister. Last year, it was revealed that Rishi Sunak paid 22% tax which equated to around £508,308.