SHAMED GREEN TO GET £16,876 TAXPAYER CASH
Fury at payout after porn lies
DISGRACED Damian Green will pocket a £16,876 payoff despite being axed for lying over an investigation into porn on his office computer.
Theresa May’s former deputy also gets to keep his £74,962 MP’s salary after she finally axed him as a minister for making “inaccurate and misleading” statements.
The tax-free payout – which is a quarter of his separate £67,505 Cabinet salary – sparked fury.
His constituents in Ashford, Kent, demanded he quit as MP.
Labour MP Neil Coyle said: “Any minister sacked for misconduct should be subject to the same rules as everyone else, so there should be no payout.”
Fellow MP John Mann added: “The public will be aghast at a man who lied in such a senior role getting paid more than many earn in a whole year.”
And one of Mr Green’s constituents, Peter Edwards, 70, said: “You can’t mislead people. I think he should resign as MP. I would not vote for him now.”
Another, Steve Hunter, 62, added: “If he has been lying he deserves what he got.” Mrs May was forced to sack her old university pal after he confessed police had told him in 2008 there was porn on his PC. He had denied knowing about it and branded former Met police chief Bob Quick “untrustworthy” after he had said he told the MP about the images. Mr Quick last night said he will continue to “seek a retraction” and warned the matter was “in the hands of my lawyers”.
Mrs May, who was on a visit to Poland yesterday, tried to deflect the furore surrounding the payoff on to police leaks about the porn.
Former Met officer Neil Lewis had claimed he found “thousands” of sex images on the PC.
Mrs May said in Warsaw: “I expect that issue to be properly investigated, to be taken seriously and to be properly looked at.”
Met boss Cressida Dick said the matter has been referred to data protection watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office, which may take action – including “potential prosecution” if it finds laws have been broken.
Cabinet Office rules state axed ministers are entitled to a quarter of their final salary as a pay-off.
Priti Patel, who quit as International Development Secretary last month over secret meetings with Israeli officials, is also entitled to the payoff.
Neither Mr Green nor Ms Patel’s offices would comment on whether they would take the cash.
Sir Michael Fallon, who quit as Defence Secretary over allegations of sexual impropriety, received nothing as he is over 65.
Downing Street last night announced Mark Garnier, who called his secretary “sugar t**s”, will keep his job as the alleged abuse came before he was a minister.