Lord Irvine's 12.6% increase comes as teachers and members of the armed forces were given increases of around three per cent.

The Lord Chancellor's wage rise benefits from an ancient pay structure which is legally binding.

There is clearly one rule for hard-working public servants and another for New Labour cronies Michael Howard, Shadow Chancellor

The increase has been described as "outrageous" and criticised by opposition and union leaders.

Lord Irvine's increase does not compare with teachers, who will receive a 2.9% increase in line with inflation.

And it is also way above the 3.2% awarded to most of the Armed Forces and the 3.7% given to their equivalents in the RAF and Royal Navy.

In cash terms Lord Irvine's rise - which will see his salary rise to �202,736 from 1 April this year - is 50 times better than the �467 increase of an Army private.

The increase is still five times higher than the 2.25% awarded to other ministers and MPs, as well as higher ranks in the military.

'Outrageous'

Lord Irvine's salary is governed by law which dictates that he must always receive an annual salary �2,500 higher than the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf.

Thus he will get a 2.75% increase awarded to all judges, plus another 4.4% as the final stage of their 2002 award.

But Lord Woolf will also receive a further �10,000, as the senior full-time serving judge. It is designed to redress the "slippage" in recent years between his pay and that of the Cabinet Secretary as head of the civil service.

That in turn means another �10,000 for Lord Irvine.

Shadow chancellor Michael Howard described the award as "outrageous".

They lecture us about the consequences of us seeking a fair pay rise and they have the cheek to fill their own pockets Fire Brigades Union spokesman

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

"Some private soldiers on the way to the Gulf have been told they will receive less than an extra �500-a-year.

"Yet Derry Irvine gets a whopping �22,000-a-year increase.

Support similar rises?

"The need to tighten belts has clearly not been extended to the Lord Chancellor."

Downing Street said that all today's awards were the result of independent reviews.

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

A Fire Brigades Union spokesman said Lord Irvine's �22,000 increase was more than the highest-paid firefighter's annual salary.

"They lecture us about the consequences of us seeking a fair pay rise and they have the cheek to fill their own pockets," he said.

Lord Irvine faced criticism earlier this month over revelations that his pension package from the stage will be worth �2m when he retires, added to any private pensions from his career as a barrister.

From the day he was appointed in 1997, Lord Irvine became entitled to an index-linked pension of �90,000 a year for life, a widow's pension, and a tax-free lump sum of �180,000.