Did Liz Truss serve long enough as PM to receive the £115k a year payout for the rest of her life?
Liz Truss will be able to claim a £115,000 annual allowance granted to former prime ministers to help them fund their public duties.
Despite resigning on her 45th day, and becoming the shortest-serving prime minister ever, Truss is eligible to claim the eye-watering sum.
Furious members of the public have called for either the annual grant to be withheld from Truss – or that she voluntarily forgo it.
Mike Galsworthy, a researcher and media commentator, said: “Liz Truss now gets £115,000 pa for the rest of her life. This silly rule about lifetime salary for ex-PMs needs to be scrapped by Labour as soon as they come into power.”
Hugo Tagholm, vice president of Oceana in the UK, said: “Surely the Prime Minister of just 45 days shouldn’t qualify for the annual payment of £115,000 for life. This would be a terrible injustice, given the economic turmoil she triggered for the country.”
So what is the £115,000 allowance for and why is Truss eligible?
What is the £115,000 allowance?
The Public Duties Cost Allowance (PDCA) was established in 1991 following Margaret Thatcher’s resignation.
Its purpose is to help former prime ministers fund things like office costs and secretarial costs, that are necessary to meet the demands of the former prime minister’s public life.
Liz Truss - In pictures
The fund also allows former prime ministers to claim up to 10 per cent of the cost of this allowance to fund the pensions of staff who work in their post-prime ministerial offices.
It is also paid on top of any constituency office, which they might continue to serve as an MP.
Former prime ministers such as Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Theresa May have all also claimed the allowance since departing from Downing Street.
Who is eligible for the PDCA?
The eligibility criteria for the PDCA simply state that “all former prime ministers’ are eligible to draw on the PDCA.
“They cannot claim the allowance if they are serving as Leader of the Opposition.”
This would mean that Truss would be eligible to claim the annual allowance.
The eligibility criteria also say: “If the former prime minister accepts any public appointment, the level of the allowance will be reviewed in relation to the remuneration, if any, which he or she will receive from public funds.”
