Theresa May talks her way into the millions club, writes ANDREW PIERCE

She was hardly a great Prime Minister, let alone a decent public speaker — yet Theresa May is about to join the multi-millionaires club.

Despite still being a serving MP, May found time in the last financial year to the end of March 2023 to amass assets of £1.54 million, according to newly released figures.

Since then, she’s grossed around £500,000 or so from speaking engagements, thereby smashing through the £2 million barrier in earnings — and that’s before her £86,000 MP’s salary.

She picked up £220,000 for delivering speeches in India and Israel in September and October and she’s also bagged a £66,000 advance for her book Abuse Of Power.

Despite still being a serving MP, May found time in the last financial year to the end of March 2023 to amass assets of £1.54 million

May picked up £220,000 for delivering speeches in India and Israel in September and October

As for Liz Truss, she may have lasted only 49 days as PM but she, too, is coining the cash while working as an MP — £300,000 of it to be precise.

They are both also dipping into the annual £115,000 Public Duty Costs Allowance, designed to help former PMs run their office, to which they are of course entitled.

So far, May has claimed £280,000 of it, and Truss £23,000. Nice work if you can get it!

Bye bye, baronness?  

There was a call last week from former Lord Speaker Baroness D’Souza for more peers to step down to free up space on the red leather benches of the Upper House.

This is the same D’Souza, 79, who as Lord Speaker said taxpayers should not begrudge the £4,000 she claimed for flowers in her office and £1,200 on a trip to the opera.

Perhaps it’s time for her to practise what she preaches and stand down.

Were Labour MPs right to invoke the spirt of Mary Poppins as they advocated a ‘nanny state’ solution to deal with the obesity crisis? 

Mary Poppins famously urged a spoonful of sugar. 

Prediction of the week

Cameron could renounce his peerage and move into a safe seat — if there are any left after the next election

Former Culture Secretary and Mail columnist Nadine Dorries says: ‘I’m calling it now.

‘The plan is to install David Cameron as next leader of the party following defeat in the General Election.’

Tricky, as he’s in the House of Lords. But he could renounce his peerage and move into a safe seat — if there are any left after the next election.

After the One Nation group of Tory MPs rebelled over Rwanda, defending the right of European judges to meddle in deportation orders and scupper attempts to stop boats crossing the Channel, one wag was overheard saying in the Commons chamber: ‘Which “one nation” do they represent? France?’ 

They must be off their Eds 

Sir Ed Davey’s party war-gamed a range of potential scenarios at an away day in a London hotel last month

Just a few weeks ago, the LibDems were planning for an eruption of ‘Ed-mania’ in their election campaign, expecting a similar level of enthusiasm for the Party’s leader to that briefly engendered by Nick Clegg after the first TV debate in the 2010 election.

Sir Ed Davey’s party war-gamed a range of potential scenarios at an away day in a London hotel last month.

What a difference a few weeks makes. After his failure to apologise for his lamentable failure over the Post Office scandal, there is now talk of an internal coup that could see him forced out before the general election.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will host a moving ceremony in Parliament tomorrow to mark the Holocaust. 

There will be the lighting of candles and testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust and genocides in Rwanda and Darfur.

Hoyle tells me: ‘It is important that we listen to their brave testimonies so that we learn the lessons of the past.’

Idea of the week

Tory MP Duncan Baker, a former Norfolk postmaster, says: ‘Take the knighthood away from LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey and give it to the real-life Alan Bates.’