Downing Street reined in Harriet Harman on Sunday after the Labour deputy leader said that Sir Fred Goodwin, former chief executive of RBS, would not receive his £650,000-plus annual pension.

“Sir Fred should not be counting on being £650,000 ($924,053) a year better off as a result of this, because it’s not going to happen ... it will not be accepted,” Ms Harman told the BBC.