Cash for peerages’ suspects will walk away with £75,000 payoffs25.02.07
The Downing Street ‘suspects’ at the heart of the police inquiry into cash-for-honours will walk away with pay-offs worth up to £75,000 when Tony Blair steps down.
The Prime Minister’s inner circle of aides – including chief of staff Jonathan Powell and director of government relations Ruth Turner – are entitled to a share in the expected £1.2million ‘golden goodbyes’ which will be handed out to officials in the coming months.
Around 40 Blairite spin doctors and fixers will leave their government posts when Gordon Brown moves into Number Ten.
The Chancellor is expected to bring in his own team of advisers if he wins the Labour leadership and will want to ‘cull’ aides who he regards as Blair loyalists.
But under civil service rules, the aides will be entitled to up to six months salary.
One Whitehall official told the Mail on Sunday: “These special advisers have known for some time they will be without a job. Most have lined up others, but are waiting for their redundancy cheques.”
Mr Powell, who has been quizzed by police investigating claims that Labour ‘sold’ honours to wealthy businessmen in return for loans, is believed to earn £150,000 a year and is expected to pocket around £75,000 before tax.
Miss Turner, arrested by police on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, will also be eligible for a generous cheque. Mr Blair’s political secretary John McTernan is also likely to get a pay-off.
Angus MacNeil, the Scottish nationalist MP who sparked the police probe, last night critics the hand outs. He said: “They are grotesque. There seems to be one rule for Number Ten and another for ordinary workers.”
75 Grand? That’s Almost Enough To Buy A Title
