[arista]

[Penny Mordaunt defends Michelle Donelan MP
after taxpayers foot £15,000 legal bill]


[Penny Mordaunt MP has defended
colleague Michelle Donelan MP, after it emerged
taxpayers' money was used to settle
a legal dispute with a professor.
She said it was clear Ms Donelan valued
public money because she once turned down
a redundancy payment after serving as
education secretary for 36 hours.

Science Secretary Ms Donelan was told
to pay £15,000 for falsely suggesting
an academic backed Hamas.

Ms Mordaunt said she was
confident the payment had
been "justified".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also defended
the payout saying it was
"a long-standing convention... that the
government will fund those disputes
when it comes to ministers doing their work."

However, opposition parties have
urged the science secretary to cover
the costs herself.]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68503255



Yes she made the error
and she can afford the £15K herself.