Liz Truss has been claiming from the £115,000-a-year public fund awarded to former prime ministers, new Cabinet Office accounts have revealed. 

Despite only being in office for 49 days, the ex-Tory leader received £23,310 in her first five months out of office.

According to reports, she has continued to claim in the current financial year.

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The Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokeswoman Christine Jardine urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “do the right thing and stop Liz Truss from claiming taxpayers’ cash from the ex-PM fund”.

“It’s an outrage that while families struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table, Liz Truss profits from her own failure,” she said.

“If Liz Truss wants to cut tax she should lead by example and stop taking hardworking British taxpayers for a ride by claiming handouts.”

The Public Duty Cost Allowance affords former prime ministers up to £115,000 a year to cover office and secretarial costs arising from public duties.

Sir Tony Blair and Sir John Major were the only former leaders to claim the maximum amount in 2022/23, though Gordon Brown was close on £114,627.

Her office declined to comment.

 

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The Cabinet Office accounts also detailed the total cost of Boris Johnson’s taxpayer-funded legal defence to the inquiry that found he lied to MPs over partygate.

 

The final cost was put at £263,079, in line with what the department had previously revealed.