Wealthy Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey ‘can’t remember’ how much he gets paid

BANK of England boss Andrew Bailey — who sparked anger by calling for pay restraint — yesterday claimed he could not remember the exact size of his mega salary.

Mr Bailey, on a package worth more than £575,000 a year, was asked for the figure by MPs.

But he told the Treasury Select Committee he did not “carry that around in my head”.

Earlier this month he came under fire from unions and earned a rebuke from 10 Downing Street for suggesting workers should not ask for big pay rises to help control inflation.

Yesterday, during an exchange with Labour MP Angela Eagle over how much care workers in the UK are paid per year, the Bank boss said he could not remember precisely how much his own salary was.

Ms Eagle asked: “What was your pay over the same period?”

Mr Bailey replied: “Substantially higher.” He then added: “It’s somewhere over £500,000.

"I can’t tell you exactly what it was. I don’t carry that around in my head.”

His pay including pension is £575,538, Ms Eagle reminded him. That’s about 18 times the average salary.

Mr Bailey yesterday called on “everybody”, including bankers, to show restraint when setting pay and bonuses in case it causes high inflation to spiral further.

He insisted that he was not “saying people should not take pay rises”, but highlighting the consequences of “large pay rises”.