By Daniel Martin, Deputy Political Editor 21 October 2022 • 6:07pm
Liz Truss is set to draw up a resignation honours list – despite only having been in the job for six weeks, the Telegraph can disclose.
Downing Street said on Friday that it was the convention that all outgoing Prime Ministers issue such lists.
It raises the possibility that key members of the Truss campaign could be given knighthoods or peerages, despite only having been at the top of politics for a matter of weeks.
Although no names have yet been discussed, Ms Truss could choose to reward senior donors who helped fund her successful leadership campaign, as well as aides who have been by her side throughout her parliamentary career.
Combined with her shortness of tenure, it could make any Truss resignation honours the most controversial since Harold Wilson’s infamous lavender list in 1976.
It could mean Mark Fulbrook, Ms Truss’s chief of staff, would be in line for an honour. His appointment last month was hugely controversial because he continues to hold a 10 per cent stake in a lobbying business with disreputable clients.
And her senior special adviser Jason Stein – who was suspended earlier this week following claims he briefed against senior Tories including Sajid Javid – could also be given a gong.
She could also give an award to Kwasi Kwarteng, who she was forced to sack as Chancellor last week.
The news comes as Westminster waits for Boris Johnson’s resignation honours, which have still not been published.
The combination of both lists could see a large increase in the number of Tory peers in the House of Lords, at a time when the size of the upper chamber is already seen as being unsustainable.
Peers are entitled to sit in the Lords for life, and can claim an allowance of £300 a day for turning up.
Critics will ask why the Conservatives should benefit from such a boost to their numbers in the Lords as a direct result of a series of short premierships.
On Friday, the Liberal Democrats called for Ms Truss to be barred from handing out knighthoods, peerages and other honours.
‘Disgraceful waste of taxpayer money’
Wendy Chamberlain, the party’s chief whip, wrote to the chairs of the House of Lords appointment commission and the parliamentary and political service committee, urging them to reject any resignation list.
“Handing out more expensive gongs to Conservative allies would be a truly remarkable way to reward the shortest tenure as Prime Minister in British political history,” she said.
“Truss and her Conservative colleagues have trashed our economy and left millions in misery. We are faced with the horrifying prospect that those who are selected for honours will be the very people who helped plunge the country into chaos and crisis.
“Allowing Truss to dish out positions of influence, and huge handouts to boot, would be a disgraceful waste of taxpayer money and show a stunning lack of humility.”
Ms Truss was seen out running on Friday morning, and later left Downing Street wearing shades to spend her final weekend as Prime Minister at her Chequers country retreat.
Downing Street said that if she is still in post next Wednesday, she will take part in Prime Minister’s Questions.
Liz Truss Wire
Liz Truss leaving Downing Street for her final weekend at Chequers as Prime Minister Credit: James Manning/PA
On Friday morning, Sir Keir Starmer demanded Ms Truss decline the allowance of up to £115,000 a year she will be entitled to as a former prime minister.
Downing Street confirmed she will now be able to claim the public duty costs allowance, which was introduced in 1991 in the wake of Margaret Thatcher’s resignation.
The money was introduced to assist former prime ministers still active in public life, with payments only made to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties.
The Labour leader told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that she had not “earned the right” to the allowance.
“She should turn it down,” he said. “I think that’s the right thing to do. She’s done 44 days in office, she’s not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it.”
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, also said she should not claim the money.
He likened the expenses allowance to a “full state state pension”, telling LBC radio it was “many, many times” what workers could expect in retirement.
The money can be used to pay for incurred expenses for office costs and secretarial costs “arising from their special position in public life”. This includes salaries for staff who help them with their work in public life, or travel to events where they are appearing as an ex-prime minister. It is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties.
All former prime ministers are eligible to draw on the money. Mr Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May have all claimed the allowance after leaving No 10.
It is not yet known whether Boris Johnson has claimed the allowance as the most recent annual figures are yet to be published.
Both Mr Major and Mr Blair claimed the full amount for 2020/21, Mr Brown claimed £114,712, Mr Cameron claimed £113,423 and Mrs May claimed £57,382.
Has she decided if she’s keeping her £115,000 a year for life for being an ex PM. Sounds like she’s won the lottery really.
If Johnson gets in again, he’ll eventually get a second round of resignation honours.
At this point it’s just 2 fingers up at us all, isn’t it?
Larry the cat?
The lettuce in the wig?
This is beyond parody.
Go on as it shows how ridiculous the House of Lords is. Nearly 800 life time peers and it includes minor celebrities, debased individuals, every major donor to the tories, a Russian spy and propaganda spreaders rewarded for misleading the public.
Stick 50 in and another 50 from Johnson. In fact they should stick one another in too.
12 years worth of peerages Im the lords. It really is a joke at this point as it can just be stuffed with your party…. Especially when it can happen so much with the revolving Tory leadership door
The only country with a bigger upper legislative chamber than us is CHINA. We’ve been rewarding awful people who only ever wanted the title and the bragging rights with seats in the Lords for decades.
When nurses need a pay rise to feed their kids, there’s no magic money tree. But when it comes to throwing paid positions for life at your scumbag donors, there’s a magic money Chelsea fucking flower show.
They obviously shouldn’t have that privilege unless they actually won a general election and stayed as PM at least until the following GE.
When ousted by your own party, pushed to resign, or fined by police for breaking the law; this priviledge shouldn’t be allowed! They’re making a mockery of British politics and the public who are forced to participate it their pantomime.
Given how finished they both are in politics, she may as well ennoble herself and Kami-Kwazi.
11 comments
By Daniel Martin, Deputy Political Editor 21 October 2022 • 6:07pm
Liz Truss is set to draw up a resignation honours list – despite only having been in the job for six weeks, the Telegraph can disclose.
Downing Street said on Friday that it was the convention that all outgoing Prime Ministers issue such lists.
It raises the possibility that key members of the Truss campaign could be given knighthoods or peerages, despite only having been at the top of politics for a matter of weeks.
Although no names have yet been discussed, Ms Truss could choose to reward senior donors who helped fund her successful leadership campaign, as well as aides who have been by her side throughout her parliamentary career.
Combined with her shortness of tenure, it could make any Truss resignation honours the most controversial since Harold Wilson’s infamous lavender list in 1976.
It could mean Mark Fulbrook, Ms Truss’s chief of staff, would be in line for an honour. His appointment last month was hugely controversial because he continues to hold a 10 per cent stake in a lobbying business with disreputable clients.
And her senior special adviser Jason Stein – who was suspended earlier this week following claims he briefed against senior Tories including Sajid Javid – could also be given a gong.
She could also give an award to Kwasi Kwarteng, who she was forced to sack as Chancellor last week.
The news comes as Westminster waits for Boris Johnson’s resignation honours, which have still not been published.
The combination of both lists could see a large increase in the number of Tory peers in the House of Lords, at a time when the size of the upper chamber is already seen as being unsustainable.
Peers are entitled to sit in the Lords for life, and can claim an allowance of £300 a day for turning up.
Critics will ask why the Conservatives should benefit from such a boost to their numbers in the Lords as a direct result of a series of short premierships.
On Friday, the Liberal Democrats called for Ms Truss to be barred from handing out knighthoods, peerages and other honours.
‘Disgraceful waste of taxpayer money’
Wendy Chamberlain, the party’s chief whip, wrote to the chairs of the House of Lords appointment commission and the parliamentary and political service committee, urging them to reject any resignation list.
“Handing out more expensive gongs to Conservative allies would be a truly remarkable way to reward the shortest tenure as Prime Minister in British political history,” she said.
“Truss and her Conservative colleagues have trashed our economy and left millions in misery. We are faced with the horrifying prospect that those who are selected for honours will be the very people who helped plunge the country into chaos and crisis.
“Allowing Truss to dish out positions of influence, and huge handouts to boot, would be a disgraceful waste of taxpayer money and show a stunning lack of humility.”
Ms Truss was seen out running on Friday morning, and later left Downing Street wearing shades to spend her final weekend as Prime Minister at her Chequers country retreat.
Downing Street said that if she is still in post next Wednesday, she will take part in Prime Minister’s Questions.
Liz Truss Wire
Liz Truss leaving Downing Street for her final weekend at Chequers as Prime Minister Credit: James Manning/PA
On Friday morning, Sir Keir Starmer demanded Ms Truss decline the allowance of up to £115,000 a year she will be entitled to as a former prime minister.
Downing Street confirmed she will now be able to claim the public duty costs allowance, which was introduced in 1991 in the wake of Margaret Thatcher’s resignation.
The money was introduced to assist former prime ministers still active in public life, with payments only made to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties.
The Labour leader told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that she had not “earned the right” to the allowance.
“She should turn it down,” he said. “I think that’s the right thing to do. She’s done 44 days in office, she’s not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it.”
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, also said she should not claim the money.
He likened the expenses allowance to a “full state state pension”, telling LBC radio it was “many, many times” what workers could expect in retirement.
The money can be used to pay for incurred expenses for office costs and secretarial costs “arising from their special position in public life”. This includes salaries for staff who help them with their work in public life, or travel to events where they are appearing as an ex-prime minister. It is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties.
All former prime ministers are eligible to draw on the money. Mr Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May have all claimed the allowance after leaving No 10.
It is not yet known whether Boris Johnson has claimed the allowance as the most recent annual figures are yet to be published.
Both Mr Major and Mr Blair claimed the full amount for 2020/21, Mr Brown claimed £114,712, Mr Cameron claimed £113,423 and Mrs May claimed £57,382.
Has she decided if she’s keeping her £115,000 a year for life for being an ex PM. Sounds like she’s won the lottery really.
If Johnson gets in again, he’ll eventually get a second round of resignation honours.
At this point it’s just 2 fingers up at us all, isn’t it?
Larry the cat?
The lettuce in the wig?
This is beyond parody.
Go on as it shows how ridiculous the House of Lords is. Nearly 800 life time peers and it includes minor celebrities, debased individuals, every major donor to the tories, a Russian spy and propaganda spreaders rewarded for misleading the public.
Stick 50 in and another 50 from Johnson. In fact they should stick one another in too.
12 years worth of peerages Im the lords. It really is a joke at this point as it can just be stuffed with your party…. Especially when it can happen so much with the revolving Tory leadership door
The only country with a bigger upper legislative chamber than us is CHINA. We’ve been rewarding awful people who only ever wanted the title and the bragging rights with seats in the Lords for decades.
When nurses need a pay rise to feed their kids, there’s no magic money tree. But when it comes to throwing paid positions for life at your scumbag donors, there’s a magic money Chelsea fucking flower show.
They obviously shouldn’t have that privilege unless they actually won a general election and stayed as PM at least until the following GE.
When ousted by your own party, pushed to resign, or fined by police for breaking the law; this priviledge shouldn’t be allowed! They’re making a mockery of British politics and the public who are forced to participate it their pantomime.
Given how finished they both are in politics, she may as well ennoble herself and Kami-Kwazi.