Former PM Liz Truss charged taxpayers for an annual subscription to Amazon Prime for her office, it can be revealed.
The subscription, which costs £95, gives the ex-PM free shipping from the retail giant – and access to their huge catalogue of TV shows, movies and books. Currently available for Prime subscribers to stream are the hit movies My Fault, Beautiful Disaster and the Amazon Original series Dead in the Water.
The Kindle edition of Ms Truss’ book, Ten Years to Save The West is currently reduced from £20 to £4.29.
It’s not the first time Ms Truss has put a Prime subscription on expenses – but when this newspaper revealed she’d done so in 2022, her team insisted it had not been intentional. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which handles MPs’ expense claims, has previously confirmed Prime subscriptions can be within the rules.
But they said: “The MP will need to justify that the subscription is primarily used for parliamentary purposes at the time they submit the claim”.
Also among the thousands of items available for free one-day delivery is a £3.99 ready-to-wear mask of Ms Truss’ face, and a life-size cardboard cutout of her, on sale for £35.99.
Last week the Lib Dems called for Ms Truss to be stripped of her £115,000 allowance. Under their plans, Prime Ministers would need to serve for more than a year to qualify for the annual fund, which all ex-PMs can claim.
The Public Duty Cost Allowance (PDCA) is available to all former Prime Ministers who are active in public life unless they are serving as leader of the opposition. It means they are entitled to claim £115,000 from the taxpayer every year for life to pay office, travel and staff expenses.