David Cameron is planning to force his ministers to accept hefty pay cuts if the Tories win power at the next general election, it is reported.
The Guardian reported that the Conservative leader has concluded ministers will have to show they are prepared to take a financial hit if they are to push through unpopular spending cuts needed to rebuild the public finances.
While a party spokesman insisted that no decisions had been taken, the newspaper quoted one senior Tory as saying that reductions of up to 25% were being considered.
This would wipe almost £20,000 off the pay of senior ministers.
Currently, Cabinet ministers get £79,754 in ministerial pay on top of their MP's salary of £64,766, giving them a total annual salary of £144,520.
If Mr Cameron were to cut their ministerial entitlement by a quarter, members of the Cabinet would get a total of £124,581.50.
While such a cut would be highly popular with the public, it is unlikely to go down well with Mr Cameron's senior colleagues - some of who already resented his order that they must give up any second jobs from January in order to prepare for the election.
The report comes hard on the heels of the disclosure that the shadow leader of the Commons, Alan Duncan, complained that MPs were being forced to live "on rations" in the wake of the scandal over MPs' expenses.
Although Mr Duncan apologised for his comments, which he insisted were made in jest, his apparent dismay at the clampdown on MPs' remuneration is thought to be shared by many others in his party.
A Conservative spokesman confirmed that the party was looking at measures to cut the costs of Parliament and government, but insisted that no decisions had been taken on ministerial pay.
