Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the disgraced peer it was the ‘moral’ thing to do, and insisted he shared the public frustration at the payout.
Peter Mandelson should pay his £75,000 severance money to a charity that supports victims, a minister has said.
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the disgraced peer it was the “moral” thing to do, and insisted he shared the public frustration at the payout.
It follows the publication of the first batch of files on his appointment to Washington, which show the Labour grandee was offered a £75,000 golden goodbye after initially seeking a payout for his entire four-year contract, at a cost of £547,201 to the taxpayer.
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READ MORE: Peter Mandelson demanded £500,000 payout after sacking over Epstein ties
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Mr Thomas-Symonds said: “I share the moral outrage around this, and I’m sure I have the same emotional reaction other people did when they saw this, From a purely numbers point of view, you can see absolutely why when Peter Mandelson was demanding £547,000 pounds. that was negotiated down to £75,000.
“There was talk that there would be an employment tribunal case where it’s generally a place where even if you win a case, it’s the usual practice you don’t recover your legal costs. You can see why there are numbers basis or a value for money basis, that decision was made. On a moral basis, no, he absolutely shouldn’t keep it, and I think the right thing to do would be to give it to charity and perhaps charity that supports victims”.
Foreign Office officials also feared Mandelson would go “public” with damaging claims against the Government if did not swiftly agree to settlement. The explosive revelations were detailed in a 147-page dossier released on Wednesday, which raised fresh questions on Keir Starmer ’s judgement in appointing Lord Mandelson to the plum post despite his friendship with the billionaire predator.
The Prime Minister sacked him in September, saying he had lied about the extent of his ties with Epstein. But the Cabinet Office due diligence report, published today, warned there was a “general reputational risk” in appointing him.
Mr Thomas-Symonds told Sky News that the due diligence report raised “serious questions”, but that the PM was “misled”. He said: “The Prime Minister then did put those questions to Lord Mandelson. The Prime Minister has said he was misled. He deeply regrets believing the reassurances he was given. He has apologised for believing what was said to him by Peter Mandelson.”