Angela Rayner not returning her 17K severance payment

[MissionCreep]

After a year out of gov Angela Rayner is back obviously and today saying she won’t return the 17K severance payment because she ‘will deliver again’ in government. Just seems so grubby.

Same for Liz Truss taking the PM pension after crashing the economy. Just so tone deaf. I’m sure there are loads of other examples and I don’t think they’re OK either.

I don’t want this Burnham government to appear to be one that just looks out for itself. That was terrible for us in the Boris Johnson era. We should obviously not be harbouring any corruption from those in office, but also I want politicians to do the right thing in office even where the law doesn’t absolutely force them to.

'Only 17k'. How tone deaf are some people? I wish someone would give me 17k if I break the rules at work and have to resign!

Having AR in the govt is not a good look for AB - she's a massive hypocrite.

I don't care how much money AB's wife spends on a dress - she is not an elected politician being paid from the public purse. She can buy whatever the fuck she likes and isn't answerable to the public.

The fact the Tories did it is irrelevant

Then why did you ask if my opinion would be the same if she was a Tory?

Why should she?

This was in her contract and she was perfectly entitled to that payment. Also it was a year ago so I would expect that money to have been spent already anyway.

It is such a non story.

Sad that a large part of our media has nothing better to do than try to create fake controversies.

I don't understand how it can be in someone's contract to receive a payout if they've had to resign because they broke the ministerial code?

Surely the story isn't so much that she took it, but that she took it having made such a fuss about others doing similar?

Exactly. But posters keep avoiding the question and going back to the technicalities of her taking it and not paying it back.
They are missing the point.

tory and reform interns out in force today.

Oh for goodness sake, how pathetic you sound.

Well, There we are then

So Burnham’s wife is not allowed to spend her own money on a dress. Why not?

And Spencer isn’t allowed to buy a charity shop bargain. MN at its worst finest.

I didn't say they were worse. I said they were the same.

No one is surprised by anything she does

Of course she hasn't. A true socialist. What's mine is mine, what's everyone else's is mine too.

She is but when her PM husband is meant to be astute about people feeling the pinch, it's quite tone deaf.

Oh they absolutely do! The private sector is rife with people getting unfair payouts to leave when they’re under a cloud

Ah yes-the little woman should stay a few steps behind him. Perish the thought she has her own career and money.

The feminist response is so tiresome. Look beyond and see the bigger picture.

Not as tiresome as the anti-feminist response!

And choose her own dresses.

I am a Tory supporter and I think it’s fine. She will have had disruptions and expenses. Let’s not nitpick.

I don't put myself down as a feminist. I stick up for women when I see fit. We can agree to disagree.

She's not obliged to look at the big picture - she's not PM or an MP and this is not her job.

Also, most of us are able to cope with the reality of other people maybe having more money than we do, without having a fit of the vapours and needing a lie down! Even when those other people are socialists!

Given how loud she was about the men it applies to I'd say it's a fair complaint.

Oh I know, everyone is a hypocrite at some point but this does scream classic girlboss feminist 'one rule for thee but not for me'.

Can we? I never understand the agree to disagree thing. That’s surely for whether to put pineapple on pizza or whether barrel trousers look ridiculous. Not whether it’s OK to put down a woman in public life.