Norfolk MP will use severance payment to clear overdraft and to give to charity
George Freeman is entitled to an estimated payment of more than £5,500 after he stepped down as science minister in July
A Norfolk MP who resigned from his ministerial role before being reappointed to a similar post three months later has said he will use his severance payout to help clear his overdraft before donating some to his charities.
George Freeman is entitled to an estimated payment of more than £5,500, after he stepped down as science minister in July, in protest at then prime minister Boris Johnson.
The Mid Norfolk MP – who was given a more senior job in the same department by new PM Rishi Sunak last week – said he would use the money to pay off his overdraft, before donating the rest to two local charities he had established.
“I’ll be clearing some of my overdraft and putting the rest into supporting the Norfolk Way and Bridge of Hope charitable projects I set up to help support people suffering from mental illness and a vibrant local rural economy,” he said.
The Bridge of Hope is a project which aims to find jobs in horse racing for people who have suffered from homelessness and addiction, as well as ex-offenders, refugees and veterans.
The Norfolk Way is a not-for-profit social enterprise founded by the MP, along with local businesses, to provide opportunities and work placements for teenagers.
Mr Freeman has not disclosed how much each organisation will receive.
His new role as minister of state in the department for business, energy and industrial strategy comes with an increased salary of £31,680, on top of an MP’s basic salary of £84,144.
His previous government job was one step lower on the ministerial ladder, and came with a salary increase of £22,375.
Mr Freeman is understood to be entitled to claim £5,593.75 for leaving his earlier role, which he held for ten months, from September 2021 to July 2022. MPs are not entitled to payouts if they return to government within three weeks of leaving their posts.
He is one of 71 MPs thought to be entitled to a severance payment for leaving their roles in government, in what has been a turbulent year at Westminster.
Among them are fellow Norfolk MPs Liz Truss (South West Norfolk), Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth), Chloe Smith (Norwich North).
Mr Freeman is the only Norfolk MP to be reappointed to a government role by Mr Sunak.
The total cost to taxpayers for all the MPs’ payouts is expected to be around £709,000, with Norfolk MPs making up about £75,000 of that.