THE former MP for Hendon has denied claims the cash given to politicians quitting parliament or beaten in elections is excessive.

The Taxpayers Alliance has revealed defeated and retiring MPs received £3.3m, as the expenses scandal and change of government saw more than usual leave the house.

Ex-Hendon Labour MP Andrew Dismore received more than £54,000 as his golden goodbye, after serving for 13 years.

However, he said the money given out is justifiable as MPs do not get any notice of termination of employment when defeated in elections.

He said: “My P45 actually arrived last week. We do not get redundancy pay or any notice of termination of employment, which would be around three months pay for someone in a job for 13 years.

“I don't think these allowances are much more generous than you would get in the commercial sector.”

He said former MPs also took longer than other professionals to find a new job when they left the house.

“All the studies show it takes longer to find a job as there is a lot of prejudice,” he added.

“There is a perception MPs don't have management skills for some reason. But before I was an MP I was a partner in an extremely large law firm and I had a say in the way the business was run then.

“As an MP I also had to manage my own office and staff, so I'm not sure where these ideas come from.”

The former lawyer added he still had not decided what he would do in the future, and he was still looking for the right opportunity.

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