07 January 2023 , 19:02
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Golden goodbyes for ministers who were sacked or resigned during the Tory leadership turmoil could total as much as £720,000, Labour claims.
It’s analysis suggests the total set aside for the payments would have funded half a million places at school breakfast clubs.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said its number crunching showed “Conservative chaos is being subsidised at the taxpayers’ expense.
“While hard-pressed people struggle to make ends meet, this merry-go-round of ousted ministers are laughing all the way to the bank.” Ministers are entitled to 25% of their salary in severance payments if they resign or are sacked.
Cabinet bigwigs can claim a lump sum of nearly £17,000 even if they only held the job down for a matter of days.
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For junior ministers, the figure is around £10,000.
Gavin Williamson said he would not take the cash this time - but claimed it when he previously quit as Education Secretary (Getty Images)Not all ministers would claim the payments, but only a handful, including ex-Cabinet Minister Gavin Williamson who lasted 14 days, confirmed they wouldn’t accept it.
A few said they’d give it to charity.
Around 70 ministers – including 32 in the Cabinet – quit or were sacked in last summer’s Tory leadership merry-go-round, leaving taxpayers with a severance payments bill that could be as much as £720,000.
Labour’s analysis of golden goodbye figures since last July reveals the total set aside for such payments could also be enough for 10,000 tanks of fuel for an average sized car, 4,500 free TV licences for pensioners or 24,000 16-25 Young Person’s Railcards.
Ms Rayner added: “As families face a cost of living emergency and the costs of childcare, fuel and food spiral, a conveyor belt of disgraced government ministers are lining their pockets with the public’s money.
“If they had any decency these ousted ministers would turn down these rewards for failure and hand back this money to taxpayers. They don’t deserve the money and Britain can’t afford it.”
A government spokesperson said: “There are long-standing rules in place to determine what ministers are entitled to receive as severance pay. Under those rules, it is for ministers to decide whether they wish to accept it.”