Exceptional examples (2 of 2)

Amanda Goodall should not be so gullible as to believe the myth that the prime minister's salary is lower than that of many vice-chancellors. I commend to her the interim report of Will Hutton's Review of Fair Pay in the Public Sector, published in December 2010.

Although the prime minister's salary is £142,500, that is only a part of his income: Hutton reports an estimate that the total may be as much as £581,000.

However, even this level of income in office pales beside the fees earned by former prime ministers from public speaking. Tony Blair is reported to be the highest-paid public speaker in the world, and Gordon Brown, hardly charismatic, is doing very nicely now that he's no longer in No 10, reportedly seeking £64,000 for some speaking engagements.

Adrian Buckley, Assistant director of human resources, University of Birmingham.