Victoria Beckham has come under fire for furloughing 30 staff members at her eponymous fashion label, despite an estimated £335 million ($416 million) fortune.
Her employees were sent letters explaining that they will be paid 80% of their salaries (up to £2,500 a month, as per the Retention Scheme’s limits) for the foreseeable future, and a spokesman for Mrs Beckham confirmed the furloughed will last for two months “so far”.
The former Spice Girl, whose handbag collection is thought to be worth £1.5 million alone, could therefore claim up to £75,000 of taxpayer money per month.
Broadcaster and professional agitator Piers Morgan shared the news with the country on Good Morning Britain earlier today, calling Beckham a “pampered prima donna millionairess” who shouldn’t be using taxpayer money to bail-out a “failing vanity project”.
In response, culture secretary Oliver Dowden said businesses should only rely on the government’s bailout scheme if they have to: “I think each person and each company should ask themselves: do they have to rely on the taxpayer?”
Critics have taken to social media to slam Beckham for taking advantage of the scheme, rather than using her own wealth, considering she and her ex-football husband David reportedly spent £17 million to buy a penthouse in Miami just two weeks ago.
The couple’s astounding property portfolio includes a £25 million mansion in Holland Park (London) and a £6 million converted barn in the Cotswolds (just south of London) where her family has been living throughout the lockdown.
Personal finance aside, her company hasn’t actually made a profit since it launched in 2008 and suffered losses of £12.3 million in 2018, a year after David had to help Victoria out of a £10.3 million hole.
She is, of course, not the only millionaire to furlough employees either. On a grander scale, billionaire Richard Branson has asked the British government for a £500 million bailout today, though he hasn’t paid tax in the country for fourteen years.
Other companies, like EasyJet, have also appealed for taxpayer support despite handing shareholders £174 million in dividends.
And that’s just a few needles in the haystack.
When the Government's coronavirus furlough scheme website launched for applications this morning, it received 67,000 claims in the first 30 minutes. selskabskjoler
