Kemi Badenoch pocketed five times more than maternity rate after quitting as minister

New investigation reveals Tory person Kemi Badenoch was awarded a £7,920 severance outgo erstwhile she discontinue Boris Johnson's furniture successful 2022 - lone to rejoin the authorities 8 weeks later

Kemi Badenoch pocketed astir £1,000 a week during a little stint extracurricular the Cabinet - 5 times much than statutory maternity pay, caller investigation shows.

The caller Tory person has been branded "out of touch" aft antecedently saying the complaint paid to caller mums was "excessive". Ms Badenoch took a £7,920 ministerial severance outgo successful July 2022 erstwhile she resigned from Boris Johnson’s government.

She returned to the furniture conscionable 8 weeks aboriginal erstwhile she was appointed by Liz Truss connected 4 September 2022. This amounts to the equivalent of astir £1,000 for each week portion she was not successful office.

Statutory maternity wage is £184 a week. Ms Badenoch sparked fury successful September erstwhile she suggested maternity wage had "gone excessively far" successful September.

Lib Dem MP Alex Brewer said: “Kemi Badenoch was blessed to pouch thousands of pounds successful severance payments erstwhile she resigned arsenic a curate earlier being reappointed conscionable 2 months later. But she has said that maternity wage which is paid astatine a acold little complaint is someway excessive.

"It conscionable shows however retired of interaction Kemi Badenoch and the Conservative Party are."

During the Tory enactment campaign, Ms Badenoch provoked a backlash erstwhile she told Times Radio: "Maternity wage varies, depending connected who you enactment for - but statutory maternity wage is simply a relation of tax, taxation comes from radical who are working.

"We’re taking from 1 radical of radical and giving to another. This, successful my view, is excessive. Businesses are closing, businesses are not starting successful the UK, due to the fact that they accidental that the load of regularisation is excessively high."

Asked if this meant that maternity wage "is excessive", she said: "I deliberation it's gone excessively acold - excessively acold the different mode successful presumption of wide concern regulation." She aboriginal claimed her words had been misinterpreted.

The Mirror has contacted Tory HQ for comment.