Aimee Walker
The UK’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, Liz Truss, is entitled to up to £115,000 a year for the rest of her life, despite only being PM for 45 days.
Former prime ministers can claim money if they continue to remain ‘active in public life’ and ‘fulfil public duties’, reports National World.
The allowance, titled the Public Duties Cost Allowance (PDCA), was announced by former PM John Major back in March 1991.
It came about following Margaret Thatcher’s resignation in the same year.
Find out more about Liz Truss’ resignation in the clip below…
The GOV.UK website explains that PDCA is: “A reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office costs and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life.
“The allowance is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties.
“The PDCA is in addition to any constituency office which they may maintain as a Member of Parliament.”
GOV.UK also states that ‘all former prime ministers are eligible to draw on the PDCA’ unless they are ‘serving as Leader of the Opposition’.
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It adds: “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.”
At the moment, the current limit is £115,000. However, this could change in 2023, when it will be reviewed by the PM at the start of parliament.
It’s believed that Tony Blair is one of the former prime ministers to have claimed PDCA.
According to The Sunday Times, via The Independent, he ‘claimed more than £1 million’ through the allowance.
Outraged members of the public have previously reacted to hearing about the PCDA, with one person creating a petition on Change.org. It was titled: “Stop Public Duty Cost Allowance.”
In the comments, one person penned: “They earn enough from public engagements to pay their own way.”
Another added: “This payment is immoral.”
“They are already wealthy individuals, they don’t need it,” a third said.
A fourth wrote: “That’s a lot of tax wasted on millionaires who don’t need the help.”
Truss resigned as UK Prime Minister on October 20.
The 47-year-old appeared outside Downing Street to make a brief speech about the Conservative Party, in which she said she had aimed to boost economic growth.
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Truss said: “I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability.
“Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.”
Explaining that she was elected ‘with a mandate to change this’, Truss added: “We delivered on energy bills.
“I recognise, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.
“I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.
“This morning, I met the chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady. We’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.”
She went on to say that she would remain in post until another successor takes over as party leader and is appointed by King Charles III.
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