British Prime Minister Liz Truss has quit her position after just 44 days in office. But she’s not walking away empty handed.
Thanks to the country’s “Public Duty Cost Allowance,” Truss will be able to claim up to $130,000 in yearly taxpayer-funded allowance for her entire lifetime.
The money will go to reimbursing any official duty expenses she has while out of office. Current rules stipulate the funds are not intended to finance former prime ministers’ private lives.
“The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office costs and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life,” a government website explaining the Public Duty Cost Allowance reads. In addition, Truss is entitled to receive a pension allowance of up to 10% of her allowance.
While it’s a short time in office to earn a lifetime of perks, leaders around the world enjoy similar benefits. Former President Donald Trump has a lifetime pension of $230,000 a year. However, that is in addition to all kinds of paid expenses, including U.S. Secret Service protection.
Similarly former Vice President Mike Pence reportedly gets about $85,000 annually, determined by his time serving in the Senate and his years in office.
In France, a president is guaranteed about $70,000 annually, while the former chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, reportedly gets paid $175,000 each year.
Liz Truss is the shortest-serving prime minister in British history but said she would remain in the post until a new one is chosen. She would be the sixth prime minister to receive the reimbursement for her expenses after leaving office.
