Britain just can’t afford up to £100m a year to give round-the-clock protection to what will soon be NINE living ex-prime ministers: DAI DAVIES

When Andy Burnham takes over as Prime Minister, which he almost certainly does at the end of this month, he will have nine living predecessors.

This is an unprecedented event in our history. In the 20th century no more than five former Prime Ministers were alive at any one time, and these were often very old.

This is also a huge and growing burden on taxpayers, as all former Prime Ministers are entitled to lifetime, high-level armed security and elaborate protection programs, as well as an extraordinarily generous six-figure salary for ‘expenses’.

To the casual observer, this may seem like a minor problem. There are only nine VIPs after all. How hard could it be?

But the degree of planning, equipment and manpower is almost unimaginable. For example, if you see Lord Cameron and his wife in a restaurant, or Gordon Brown giving a speech at a conference, you may notice the security team and the armored car that brings them to the door; However, underneath the surface, there is a very complex and huge operation that cannot be comprehended by anyone who has not experienced it.

And as this country continues to shed Prime Ministers faster than most people upgrade their phones, it’s an operation that can no longer be taken lightly.

Strictly speaking, these privileges, which help soften the descent into civilian life by enabling them to enjoy the trappings of an existence they no longer deserve, can be justified when the Prime Ministers in question have served the country for many years or – as in the case of Tony Blair – there are credible security threats to them.

But when it comes to people like Liz Truss, who spent just 49 days at No 10, they are simply unjustifiable; He may live another 30 to 40 years in this arrogant way, especially considering he is only 50 years old.

So is Sir Keir Starmer, who will have been in office for just over two years when he leaves office

Surprisingly, there are now former Prime Ministers who receive more 24-hour protection than members of the Royal Family, and the bill is correspondingly higher.

For full protection of a single person 24/7, at least two police officers must be on duty at all times. A team of at least 12 people is required for each manager to cover leave days, training days, regular firearms and fitness tests, annual leave and sickness.

Of the Royal Family, only the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children have access to state-funded 24-hour protection. Princess Anne and other working royals, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, are only provided taxpayer-funded security when carrying out official duties.

It is this second tier of security that Prince Harry requested and was denied by Ravec, the Royal and the VIP Executive Committee.

However Each The former Prime Minister has the right to be protected day and night by specialist officers in the UK or abroad. This is as true of Blair, who was Prime Minister for a decade from 1997, as it is of Truss, who could have outlasted office by an iceberg of lettuce. And it will only end with their eventual death.

Of the eight current former prime ministers, only Sir John Major, at 83, is an octogenarian. Blair and Brown are 73 and 75 respectively, Baroness May is 69, Boris Johnson is 62, Cameron is 59 and Rishi Sunak, himself a well-to-do man, is the youngest at 46. In fact, four of them do not even qualify for a state pension.

Although the Home Office has refused to publish the actual figure, I estimate that the protection bill paid by the public for eight former Prime Ministers could be as much as £100 million a year.

What is certain is that the bill will soar once Sir Keir Starmer, 63, leaves office. When I was head of Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Protection from 1994 to 1998, my officers were closely involved with the Met’s Specialist Protection branch, which protected former prime ministers including Margaret Thatcher.

It is this second tier of security that Prince Harry requested and was denied by Ravec, the Royal and the VIP Executive Committee.

Today these duties fall to the Royal and Specialist Protection (RaSP), which is also part of the Met. Officers in each platoon will usually be sergeants or inspectors and each will cost around £100,000 a year, including salary and overtime.

Armed with Glock semi-automatic 9mm pistols as well as stun guns, officers will typically also keep a Heckler and Koch G36C submachine gun in the trunk of the VIP’s car, as well as stun grenades and night vision equipment.

They will be trained in defensive driving and escort convoy techniques, but it is the cars themselves that provide truly remarkable levels of protection.

The current Prime Minister’s official vehicle is armored to near battlefield standards, designed to deflect bullets and, most importantly today, to withstand drone attacks.

Inside, there is an independent air supply in case of a chemical weapons attack, automatic fire extinguishing systems are standard and the escape hatch can be operated in the event of a collision if it falls onto the vehicle roof.

Prime Ministers’ homes are also likely to be ‘targeted’. This means installing a ‘safe room’ at the heart of the house, where VIPs and family can take shelter in the event of an attack and stay for days if necessary.

But one room is not enough. The entire building needs to be strengthened; Its walls, windows, doors and roof must be made resistant to intruders. The family home becomes a fortress, requiring constant technical support and regular costly maintenance.

A particular headache arises when a former Prime Minister goes on holiday. Police scout accommodation in advance, map escape routes, backup communications, access to hospitals, etc. Each visit requires a separate folder filled with safety emergency plans.

On top of all these costs, there is also the thorny issue of ‘expenses’ reimbursed to former Prime Ministers by taxpayers, or, in Civil Service jargon, the Public Duty Expenses Allowance (PDCA).

Designed by Cabinet Secretary Sir Robin Butler when Mrs Thatcher left power, it provides up to £115,000 per year to ‘assist former Prime Ministers who are still active in public life’ to cover ‘the real cost of continuing to carry out public duties’. It was later amended to cover ‘necessary office expenses and secretarial expenses arising from their special position in public life’.

Last year Major, Blair and Johnson claimed the full sum. May and Brown pulled in a few hundred pounds less than £115,000, while Truss and Cameron racked up a bill of just under £100,000. Only Sunak refused to pay him back from the fund.

Every time a Prime Minister is dismissed, the cost of maintaining this magical circle into retirement increases. You could say that this is entirely appropriate to their role as people who have reached the top of the political tree, and of course, no one would challenge their right to protection if there was a real threat to their security. But former deputy prime ministers, interior ministers, foreign ministers, colleagues and others who believe they are entitled to such leniency in retirement are granted this right only if a threat assessment deems it necessary.

When Prince Harry stopped being a member of the royal family, he also lost his right to automatic security funded by state coffers. Given the increasing number of former Prime Ministers, it is high time we review the security arrangements for politicians who have ceased to govern the country.

Former Chief Inspector Dai Davies is the retired former head of SO14 Royal Guard Command.