Sir Nick Clegg has been outed for taking the maximum level of expenses available for former top politicians. He was controversially permitted to claim the Public Duty Cost Allowance (PDCA) after he was turfed out as Deputy Prime Minister when the Lib Dems were savaged at the 2015 election.
According to the Cabinet Office accounts that have just been released, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Sir John Major all claimed close to the £115,000 ceiling in 2018-19.
David Cameron, who has been earning large sums from corporate speeches and is about to release a lucrative memoir, was paid just over £110,000. Clegg claimed £112,882 – around £2,000 below the maximum permitted in a year.
Clegg was recently appointed head of Facebook’s global affairs and communications team in mid-October, reportedly with a £1million salary, and bought a £5million mansion near San Francisco afterwards. Since that time Facebook has received numerous accusations of anti-Conservative bias with prominent figures such as Tommy Robinson being removed from the platform.
A Spokesperson for Clegg said:
“Sir Nick Clegg claimed the PDCA allowance in 2018-2019 in full accordance with the Cabinet Office guidelines, to contribute towards the costs of running a private office and supporting his role in public life,’ the spokesman said.Sir Nick wrote to the Cabinet Office in October 2018 to state that he would not make any further claims on the PDCA after his office closed in December 2018.The final backdated claim was therefore submitted in November 2018. Sir Nick has never received any personal salary from the PDCA. Recipients of the PDCA have always been allowed to earn money commercially as part of their wider work.But Nick Clegg decided – voluntarily – that he did not want to do so whilst receiving the PDCA going forward.”
The latest Cabinet Office accounts said: “The PDCA is a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office and secretarial costs arising from fulfilling public duties to a maximum of £115,000.
Additionally, in 2015 the PDCA was extended to the former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg, although in October 2018 he informed the Cabinet Office that 2018-19 would be the last year in which he would be claiming the allowance; he is entitled to the full amount of £115,000 in 2018-19.
On top of the allowance, up to another £15,0000 can be claimed for staff pensions.”
Tory MP Nigel Evans slammed the payout saying: “What a snout, what a trough. But we are paying. It is a complete disgrace.”
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
