A disgraced former Tory MP who was handed almost £5,600 of taxpayers’ cash by mistake is challenging whether he should have to pay it back on age discrimination grounds.
Peter Bone received the generous severance package after he spent just 82 days as Deputy Commons Leader under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. The Mirror revealed in January that he should never have been given the money as he was over the age of 65 and therefore was not entitled to it under Government rules.
Officials had hoped Mr Bone would agree to pay back the cash, but he has still not returned it as he’s questioning whether he should have to. He received a severance payment of £5,593 when he was removed from his post as Deputy Commons Leader at the end of September 2022.
The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 states that departing ministers are only entitled to the cash if they are under the age of 65. Mr Bone was 69 at the time.
Asked whether he had paid the money to the Government, he told the Mirror: “I have asked them about it and I am waiting for a reply from them. I asked them whether it complies with the Equality Act and whether this is age discrimination or not and I am waiting to hear back from them.
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“You cannot discriminate against people on the basis of age. If they say I have to pay it back I will, but I just wanted them to clarify that point because on the face of it it appears to break the Equality Act.”
The Government also mistakenly gave severance payments to Nadine Dorries, Sir David Evennett and Maggie Throup when they stood down as ministers even though they were all over 65. All three last night confirmed they had returned the money.
Mr Bone was booted out of the Commons in December by his constituents in Wellingborough after he had been given a six-week ban from Parliament for bullying and sexual misconduct against a member of staff. A Commons sleaze watchdog found he repeatedly asked his researcher to give him massages, thrown pens at him and exposed himself when they were away on a work trip.
In one incident, Mr Bone is alleged to have struck the aide on the back of his head and told him: “You’re having a thick day and I thought that would help”.
Mr Bone’s partner Helen Harrison was selected as the Tory candidate in the by-election to replace him last month, but the seat was snatched by Labour.
Labour’s Emily Thornberry said: "What an absolute farce this is. Peter Bone was handed this payout - worth three months wages - even though he was less than three months into the job, under investigation for misconduct, and past the age limit to receive one.
“But despite all of that, the Cabinet Office can't get the money back. £5,593 of taxpayers' money lost to this horrible bully because half the people in this government don't know what they're doing, and the other half don't care. The sooner we kick the lot of them out the better, and reform the severance rules so this can never happen again."
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