Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries has accused Labour MP Angela Rayner of hypocrisy regarding severance pay, drawing a parallel to her own experience of repaying funds issued in error.
Dorries stated that in 2022, upon leaving her role as Culture Secretary, she received a severance sum of £16,876. This payment was later identified as having been made in error due to a rule stipulating that ministers over 65 should not receive such funds. Dorries, who was over the age limit, voluntarily repaid the money. She recounted facing media scrutiny, including an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, and pressure to prove the repayment had been made.
In contrast, Dorries claims Rayner has refused to return a severance payment of approximately £17,000 received after being removed from her position as Housing Minister last year. This departure followed an investigation by the Parliamentary ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, who concluded that Rayner had breached the Ministerial Code. Magnus noted that while Rayner had acted with integrity, the code had been breached. The issue arose from an undeclared stamp duty payment on her second home.
Dorries highlighted that Rayner herself was instrumental in amending the Ministerial Code in 2024 to include a clause preventing severance pay for those departing ministerial office under investigation for gross misconduct or breaching the code. "Rayner is sticking two fingers up at the very code she helped amend," Dorries wrote.
Dorries also detailed Rayner's earnings during the period following her dismissal, citing an advance of £61,500 for a memoir and £104,000 from public speaking engagements, including appearances for Deutsche Bank and a property trade body. These earnings, combined with the severance payment, amount to over £182,000, according to Dorries. She contrasted this with Rayner's 2023 statements advocating against MPs earning second incomes.
Dorries, who shares a similar working-class background with Rayner, suggested that women from such backgrounds have a greater responsibility to uphold high standards in public office to ensure opportunities for others. She argued that Rayner's actions have tarnished the reputation of women from similar backgrounds and demonstrated a lack of moral and ethical clarity, potentially impacting the perception of standards within the Labour party under Andy Burnham's leadership.