Angela Rayner has defended accepting a nearly £17,000 severance payment when she resigned from Government last year, after returning to Cabinet as Andy Burnham’s Housing Secretary. Ms Rayner received the payment after resigning in September 2025 from her role as housing secretary, deputy prime minister, and deputy Labour Party leader over a row about her tax affairs. In her first major broadcast interview since her return, Ms Rayner defended not returning the £16,876 severance payment she received when she resigned. The Conservatives have urged Ms Rayner to now pay back her severance package, something she was asked about as she appeared on BBC 5 Live on Thursday. Asked if she would heed the calls from the Tories, she told the broadcaster: “No, my severance payment was given to me at the time.