Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Despite serving shortest term ever, Liz Truss is entitled to US$129,000 a year as a former prime minister

Share

quit her post as Britain's just 45 days into the job, but she will be able to claim expenses of up to £115,000 (US$129,000) a year for the rest of her life.

Truss, who presided over and a ruling party during her disastrous six-week term in office, is set to become the shortest-serving prime minister in British history after announcing her resignation on Thursday.

Her speech triggered a that will see the appointment of the U.K.'s fifth Conservative prime minister in just over six years.

Despite the shortness of her tenure, she is entitled to receive payments under the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), a government-regulated program introduced in 1990 to "assist former Prime Ministers still active in public life."

The allowance reimburses former prime ministers for office and secretarial costs arising from their public duties.

"Payments are made only to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties," according to the .

"All former Prime Ministers are eligible to draw on the PDCA."

The PDCA has been capped at £115,000 a year since 2011 and is reviewed annually by the sitting prime minister.

Former leaders are also entitled to claim an allowance toward their staff pension costs, which is limited to 10% of the PDCA.

From 2020 to 2021, former prime ministers Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major were all reimbursed by varying amounts, according to the Cabinet Office's Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21.

'SHE SHOULD TURN IT DOWN'

However, opposition politicians and trade unions are urging Truss to decline the publicly funded annual allowance, as Britons grapple with a resulting from and .

When asked about Truss' entitlement to the allowance, Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, said "she should turn it down."

"She's done 44 days in office," he ITV's "Good Morning Britain" on Friday.

"She's not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it."

On Twitter, one user : "While people are struggling to pay the bills and keep the lights on, Liz Truss will receive a cushy £115,000 yearly allowance -- for the rest of her life, and funded by the taxpayer -- for 6 weeks of disaster as PM."

Downing Street has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment on whether Truss will accept the allowance.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.