Reshuffle: Therese Coffey payout could fund 32,000 turnips as ex-ministers to receive £90,000 in severance pay

• Ten ministers to receive up to £90,000, bringing total cost of severance payments to £620,000 in past year

• Therese Coffey’s payout could buy 32,000 turnips while Suella Braverman’s payment would fund over 800 tents for the homeless

• Lib Dems call on disgraced former ministers to give up their handouts and call for wider reform of rules on severance pay

Former Conservative ministers who have left in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle so far are set to receive up to £90,134 in severance pay, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

It would bring the total amount handed out in severance payments to former Conservative ministers to over £620,000 in the past year.

The Liberal Democrats have warned the public is paying the cost of Conservative chaos and called for reforms to scrap severance payments for disgraced ministers or those who have only served a short period of time.

Ex-Defra Secretary Therese Coffey will be eligible to receive £16,876 after she has left the government, enough to afford almost 32,000 turnips. Coffey said previously that people should eat turnips to combat food shortages.

The disgraced former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman will also be entitled to receive £16,876, enough to pay for 844 tents for the homeless. The Liberal Democrats are calling on Braverman to donate her payout to homelessness charities after she said being homeless is as a "lifestyle choice".

Former Health Ministers Will Quince and Neil O’Brien will between them be entitled to £13,514, enough to pay for 191 fillings by NHS dentists. The departure of Schools Minister, Nick Gibb will entitle him to £7,920, enough to pay for 3,130 free school meals.  

Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

“Rishi Sunak’s latest reshuffle has added to the growing cost of Conservative chaos being paid for by hard-working taxpayers across the country.

“Families will be sickened that while they struggle to pay their rent or mortgage, disgraced former Conservative ministers are being rewarded for their own failure.

“The British public will never forgive this Conservative government for trashing the economy and leaving them to pick up the tab.

“We urgently need to reform the rules on ministerial severance pay to stop these revolving door payouts. Ministers who have served only for a few months or have left in disgrace should give up their severance payments or donate them to a worthy cause.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Ministers who lost their jobs in the latest reshuffle could receive £90,134 if all of them take up their severance payments. Previous analysis by the Liberal Democrats revealed government departments have paid out £530,000 in severance payments in 2022/23. This would bring the total to £620,000.

Suella Braverman (Cabinet) - £16,876

Therese Coffey (Cabinet) - £16,876

Rachel Maclean (Minister of State) - £7,920

Jeremy Quin (Minister for the Cabinet Office) - £5,594

Neil O'Brien (PUSoS) - £5,594

Will Quince (MoS) - £7,920

Jesse Norman (MoS) - £7,920

Nick Gibb (MoS) - £7,920

George Freeman (MoS) - £7,920

Paul Scully (PUSoS) - £5,594

In 2023-24, free school meals in England are funded at £2.53 per meal.

A turnip costs 53p, meaning £16,876 could pay for 31,841 turnips (Tesco)

The £19.99 cost of a tent is estimated by LilyAnne’s Wellbeing, a charity in Hartlepool. More details can be found here.

The £70.70 cost of a filling by an NHS dentist can be found here.

Coffey's statement on turnips can be found here.