The SNP has found a way to ignite a moribund European election campaign by pledging to turn down a bumper pay rise for MEPs that political rivals are planning to accept.

The Nationalist candidates at the poll are promising to stick with their current level of pay, which is pegged to the same as that for Westminster MPs, when MEPs' salaries are hiked this year by around £10,000.

They believe the combination of ordinary families struggling with the economic downturn, allied to current public disgust with rewards for politicians, make it inappropriate to accept an increase is salary to £73,000.

But political rivals have dismissed the gesture as a stunt, and said they will accept the increase because it is mainly down to the strength of the euro which could go down at any time.

Current MEPs Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith, who are numbers one and two on their party's all-Scotland list, say they will publicly forego other practices and benefits too, such as using European Parliament allowances to buy property or boost their pension fund contributions.

Mr Hudghton, who is SNP President, said yesterday: "As families across Scotland struggle to make ends meet, a pay rise for MEPs seems inappropriate. If re-elected both SNP MEPs will opt out of new salary arrangements. As we fight to protect Scotland's jobs and our communities through the recession it is inappropriate for MEPs to pocket a big pay rise."

The hike in MEPs' salaries has come about because of a move to standardise the rate across the whole EU, which will mean huge increases for those representing Easter European countries. But the new level represents a big increase for British MEPs because of the weakness of Sterling at present.

Labour says that while the new EU deal does mean a higher salary for as long as the euro is so strong compared to the pound, the pension scheme shifts from being the "gold-plated" Westminster deal to a new system based on contributions.

A spokesman added: "The SNP excels at shallow gestures, but most Scots are cannier than that and will see through this attempt by the two SNP representatives to keep their perks after others have cleaned up."

Tory MEP Struan Stevenson said the Conservatives would be sticking to the approved new deal: "When we signed up to the new pay deal we were in effect taking a pay cut because the pound was so strong.

"However as a result of Gordon Brown's disastrous handling of the economy the pound has weakened and we are going to get a pay rise."

Meanwhile, the leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, was reported yesterday to have boasted to overseas journalists in London that he had taken up to £2m in allowances since becoming an MEP in 1999 but had put the money into party funds to help them promote their message that the UK should get out of Europe.