MP severance pay to double as hundreds of Tories face losing their seats. Coincidence?
Okay, it’s not a backhander… in fact it looks like a bung to Tory MPs facing ejection from Parliament – in plain view of the entire United Kingdom.
Is anybody not calling ‘foul’ on this one?
Here are the headlines:
Financial support to double for MPs who lose seats in UK election
Losing MPs get “loss of office payments” – at twice the rate of statutory redundancy pay – plus
the winding-up payments .Would Govt double redundancy money for workers? No chance.https://t.co/LbGM2YvtU7
— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) August 25, 2023
The details, from The Guardian:
Departing MPs will get bigger payouts for winding up their offices, with the sum doubling to £17,300, the UK parliament expenses watchdog has announced.
MPs who lose their seats or choose not to stand will be paid for four months after leaving office to enable them to wind up their casework and other duties – doubling from the current period of eight weeks.
MPs who lose their seats also qualify for “loss of office payments” – at twice the rate of statutory redundancy pay – and the winding-up payments come on top of this.
They have to demonstrate that they are using their time to work on winding up their offices. MPs’ staff can also qualify for such payments. Ministers get different severance payments for loss of office, with a cabinet minister receiving £16,876.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) made the change after reviewing arrangements for payments following the next election… prompted by the boundary changes and end of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in 2022.
Some doubt the sincerity of IPSA’s behaviour:
Call me cynical, but it seems awfully convenient that 300 Tory MPs are about to lose their seats and only now the rules change so that MPs losing their seats get 4 months severance pay.
A backhander to Sunak’s MPs to keep them in line before the next GE?
Or just more greed? https://t.co/cxM8DdFGen
— Dr Dan Goyal (@danielgoyal) August 25, 2023
The hundreds of Tory MPs who will lose their seats at the next election will continue to get paid for four months afterwards. Rather better treatment than the 800 P&O Ferries seafarers illegally sacked by the company at no notice last year.
— David__Osland (@David__Osland) August 25, 2023
So as more than 40 currently serving Tory MPs prepare to step down at the next election, all of a sudden MPs stepping down are entitled to compensation, no longer just those that lose their seat, but also that they need this to be doubled! Could this all be more Tory if they… pic.twitter.com/KfqIlokdgX
— Damien Willey 🟢 🔴 (@KernowDamo) August 26, 2023
… and This Writer is one of them.
I’d say IPSA has just delivered proof that it is not fit for purpose.
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I understand this payment is so that they can pay off their staff and close constituency offices.
It might be valid for someone voted out in an election, but for anyone standing down they have plenty of time to wind up their affairs before the election.
The conservatives are really showing their true colours. It’s as though they don’t want to get back into power for a long time and as Starmer will continue in the same mould they have nothing to fear. Is it now time for a real general strike?
Fascist tories claim there is no money in the public purse to award NHS staff and other public employees a real pay rise but MPs are as usual protected if and when they lose their seats in a by/general election!
All those MPs who will lose their seats are just scroungers if they claim these fake severance payments because fascist tory mantra has always been ‘if you lose your job why should the (mythical) taxpayer fund your welfare claim!’ So why are these MPs such special ‘fascist tory snowflakes?’