Sympathy has been in short supply for former Conservative MPs who have struggled to find work since the party was booted out of office at the last general election.
Speaking to The Telegraph this week, Sir Charles Walker says he’s had to get by on as little as £575 over six months, adding that a number of his former colleagues have found themselves in similar positions.
“I’m beginning to talk to more and more colleagues who are in career distress, who are simply just not getting interviews”, Sir Charles told the newspaper.
He said he had earned £500 on election night and £75 for appearing on Radio 4’s Broadcasting House since July, when Labour recorded a landslide victory.
“I am very lucky, I’m in my later years, I have some financial resources I can fall back on – I took my House of Commons pension early.
“But it’s not going to last forever,” he added.
Another Tory MP who had a whirlwind career is Stoke on Trent North’s former representative, Jonathan Gullis.
After losing out to David Williams in July, he has been unable to secure employment, which has a knock-on effect on his wife and two children, aged four and two.
“I’ve applied for a few jobs and sadly not even had an interview yet,” he said in a radio interview in September.
“So actually, I think the days when being an ex-MP was something that was wanted or desired are no longer as I think we’re now seen as a problem. And so that’s a challenge.”
Sadly for Gullis and co, sympathy has been in short supply on social media.
Here’s a flavour of the reaction so far: