TalkTV came to a halt on Thursday evening as host Kevin O'Sullivan branded Angela Rayner's refusal to return her £17,000 severance payment "absolutely disgusting."
Rayner Refuses to Repay Severance
The Housing Secretary received the payment after resigning from Sir Keir Starmer's cabinet in September. O'Sullivan told viewers that Rayner had refused to return the sum, which she received after being forced to quit "in disgrace" over failing to pay stamp duty on a seafront apartment in Hove, Sussex.
"She was forced to quit in disgrace because she didn't pay her stamp duty," O'Sullivan said. "She dodged her stamp duty tax while buying a swish seafront apartment in Hove, in Sussex. So she had to quit in September in disgrace. Outrageously, she still got a £17k payoff."
Return to Role Sparks Outrage
Just seven months later, Rayner was reappointed to the same role by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. O'Sullivan slammed her decision to keep the payment as "disgusting."
"She's just told the BBC that she's not going to pay the £16,876 ministerial severance payment because she said she worked hard for that money," he continued. "That's disgusting isn't it! It's absolutely disgusting."
Viewers React
On X, viewers voiced their frustrations. One user tweeted: "Horrible greedy woman needs a reality check, she owes the tax payers!!!" Another wrote: "@andyburnham this is disgraceful… Corrupt @UKLabour!!!!" A third remarked: "Rayner should NOT be allowed back into politics." A fourth added: "So you get sacked from your job, get paid for being sacked, then a year later you get the same job back and get to keep the money. In what other (public body) world would that be acceptable?"
