Politicians are “putting their lives on the line” and deserve to be paid more for the sacrifices they make, according to a government backbencher.

Zane DeSilva made the claims while defending Kathy Simmons, the Attorney-General and the Minister of Legal Affairs.

A law firm set up by Ms Simmons’ husband, Myron Simmons, was granted a contract to provide legal services to the Attorney-General’s Chambers last year. Mr Simmons had previously been employed as a senior counsel for the Attorney-General but resigned when he set up Onyx Law.

As a consultant for the Government, Onyx was paid $20,833 a month. The contract was condemned by Scott Pearman of the One Bermuda Alliance, who issued a statement last month claiming that the contract “stinks”.

Speaking during the Motion to Adjourn in the House of Assembly on Friday, Mr DeSilva, the Progressive Labour Party MP for Southampton East, said he was “tired of the accusations and relentless attacks” on Mr Simmons.

Mr DeSilva said: “This must stop. We have members in this House who put their lives on the line to represent the people of this country.

“Scott Pearman knows that the Attorney-General does not have any part in the decision making on who is hired and who is not.

“Everyone in this House has a family. In Bermuda we will continue to have conflicts. Someone once said that if there’s not a conflict with any one of us something is out of order because if there’s no conflict, you’re not interested.”

Mr DeSilva reminded MPs that he had been the subject of an investigation over allegations of money laundering.

He claimed that his family “went through hell” because of the allegations, but after the charges were dropped, the Opposition complained to the Governor.

He said: “We have members who still want an investigation. This is what they do to us and our families.

“Colleagues take arrows and bullets like you wouldn’t believe for doing their job. Putting their lives on the line, spending time away from their families, their children, sacrificing.

“All MPs are underpaid. I will make sure that every MP gets at least $100,000 a year because you know what? The time that we spend away from our families, our children, our grandchildren, our grandmothers and our grandfather — they read papers too.”

MPs who are not in the Cabinet currently earn $56,023 a year, although government ministers are paid in excess of $116,000.

Mr DeSilva concluded: “I’ll say it again — we put or lives on the line. We don’t have to do this — we care about our country, we care about or people.

“Look at what we have done over the last six years. We have worked hard to try and give this country a better life for all of our people and we do not need personal attacks.

“I don’t do personal, but I am tired of watching colleagues on this side’s families being attacked and it has to stop.”