Jacob Rees-Mogg Slammed as “Hypocrite” Over £17,000 Severance Pay for 7 Weeks
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has been blasted as a “hypocrite” after cashing in nearly £17,000 in severance pay for just seven weeks as business secretary. Critics say his payout stinks, especially since he pushed for slashing redundancy pay for civil servants.
£16,800 Bonus for Under Two Months on the Job
The rules are clear: ministers leaving office before 65, not reappointed within three weeks, get a lump sum equalling a quarter of their yearly salary. Rees-Mogg qualified when Liz Truss’s resignation booted him from the job.
He pocketed a hefty £16,800 payout — that’s three months’ wages — on top of his £86,584 MP salary and £750-per-hour gig presenting on GB News.
Calls of Hypocrisy Over Pay Cuts for Civil Servants
Back when he was government efficiency minister, Rees-Mogg championed cutting redundancy pay for civil servants from four to three weeks per year of service.
“His acceptance of this payout flies in the face of the cost-saving measures he once pushed,” a source said.
Other Tory Ministers Also Cash In
Rees-Mogg isn’t alone. Tory chairman Greg Hands pocketed £7,920 after being axed from the Business Department in September 2022, only to bounce back as a minister a month later.
Since the Boris Johnson era, severance pay has cost taxpayers a staggering £455,000. Former PMs got £18,660 each when they quit, while Kwasi Kwarteng grabbed £16,876 after less than six weeks as chancellor.
Some Give the Cash Back – But Not All
Ministers can refuse these payouts. Some have reimbursed the money when reappointed, like Kwarteng, who returned his severance after stepping down as chancellor. Yet others, including Rees-Mogg, are happy to keep the cash.
