Angela Rayner refuses to repay £16k severance payout | News

Angela Rayner has defended Andy Burnham’s failure to refund the nearly £17,000 severance pay she received when she resigned from the government in 2025 after returning to the cabinet as Housing Secretary.

The Ashton-under-Lyne MP received the payment after resigning as housing secretary, deputy prime minister and deputy leader of the Labor Party over a row over his tax affairs. HMRC have since cleared him of wrongdoing.

While in opposition, Ms Rayner criticized Conservative ministers who received lump sums – the equivalent of a quarter of an annual ministerial salary – for just a few weeks’ work during a chaotic period of numerous reshuffles. Conservatives called on him to repay his severance package.

In her first major broadcast interview since her return, Ms Rayner told Matt Chorley on BBC 5 Live on Thursday: “No, I was given my severance pay at the time. I worked in government for a while and then left government for less than a year, so I guess that’s the timeline and I’ll be serving in government again.”