Days after Angela Rayner returned to Parliament, LBC radio presenter Nick Ferrari lost it while live on air over the debate surrounding the politician's severance pay. The 46-year-old politician quit as deputy prime minister and housing secretary back in September 2025 after admitting she had underpaid tax on her £800,000 flat in Hove. Last Monday (July 20), she returned to the Government as the new Housing Secretary following Andy Burnham's appointment as the new Labour leader. But within her first week back in the job, Ms Rayner has already sparked controversy online after she refused to give back a £16,876 payout she pocketed after quitting a tax scandal.
Heated Exchange on LBC
On Friday afternoon (July 24), Mr Ferrari discussed the scandal following Ms Rayner's car-crash interview on BBC Radio 4. After discussing the latest development, he welcomed caller James onto the show, who argued that the politician has a legal obligation to return the money. He began: "I believe she [Angela Rayner] needs to hand it back because everyone else who works in this country, if they are made redundant, then they get severance pay. They are not allowed by law to return to that same job for a year without having to pay that redundancy payment back."
The This Morning presenter interrupted him, stating: "No, you don't know that. I'm sorry, but that's totally wrong. I've worked at newspapers where someone's been fired. New management will come in and that person has been rehired again within six months." The caller then argued that the presenter had his facts wrong because his daughter is an "HR director". He fumed: "I asked my daughter, who's an HR director, if that was the case. That's the law. You're wrong."
Legal vs. Moral Obligation
Deciding to cut the debate over the legality behind the severance pay short, Mr Ferrari argued that Ms Rayner's return is a slightly different situation to traditional office jobs. The broadcaster added: "I think the circumstances surrounding the Deputy Prime Minister might be slightly different to being, for want of a better expression, in a normal organisation. The woman has done nothing wrong."
Caller James snapped: "Why is she different? She is employed like everyone else", to which the presenter explained: "Because, I imagine, of the contract that she signed." It was at this point that the host decided to play along with his claim for a moment. He went on: "You're telling me she's broken the law by not returning the £17,000? Knowing the appetite some newspapers have to go after Labour politicians, why isn't the front page? Because respectfully, you're wrong."
Social Media Reaction
It didn't take long before viewers flocked to X - formerly known as Twitter to share their thoughts on the topic online. One user penned: "Legally, no, she doesn't have to pay it back, but morally, probably should," while another added: "Kinda like being made redundant then taking a new job elsewhere immediately. Would you give back the redundancy pay? Of course not ffs." Meanwhile, a third added: "Whether or not she has to repay it (doubtful imo), I think voters really hate this revolving door for cabinet ministers. If you get sacked, you should stay sacked, not just keep your head down for a while."
