Lord Irvine is at the centre of a new row after it was revealed that he is set for a £22,000 pay rise.

Michael Howard has led the condemnation of the news, which came as teachers and other public servants were told they had to settle for just three per cent.

The shadow chancellor said he was "outraged" at the 12.6 per cent pay boost for the lord chancellor.

"There is clearly one rule for hard working public servants and another for New Labour cronies," he said.

Lord Irvine, the head of the judiciary as well as a member of the cabinet, has his salary linked to that of judges - unlike other ministers who have their pay tied to that of senior civil servants.

The lord chancellor was therefore able to profit from the 2.75 per cent pay deal extended to judges whereas the rest of the cabinet will get a below inflation 2.25 per cent.

Judges are to collect a further 4.4 per cent on top of that as part of their 2002 award.

But Irvine also benefited from an unusual legal technicality that means his pay has to remain £2500 above that of the lord chief justice, Lord Woolf.

Lord Woolf scooped a £10,000 bonus because his salary had fallen behind that of the cabinet secretary, to which it is meant to be pegged.

That meant Irvine in turn had to receive the same five figure boost, taking his pay up by £22,000 to £202,736.

Irvine has attracted tabloid scorn in the past for the expensive redecoration of his official apartment, including Pugin wallpaper costing £300 for each roll.

More recently he was slammed for his "insensitivity" to public opinion over claims that non-violent burglars should not be sent to prison.

And this week it was revealed that taxpayers would fund one of the country's best pension deals for him at £90,000 per year.

"Some private soldiers on their way to the Gulf have been told they will receive less than an extra £500 a year," said Howard.

"Yet Derry Irvine gets a whopping £22,000 pay rise. The need to tighten belts has clearly not been extended to the lord chancellor."

Union leaders were also unimpressed at the rise.

"I trust that Lord Irvine will be supporting similar pay rises for other public service workers," said John Edmonds of the GMB union.