Fury over MPs’ £66k payouts if they hang on

EXCLUSIVE BY

SUSPENDED MPs will each get up to £66,000 of taxpayers cash for hanging on to their seats until the general election.

Seven MPs – most recently ex-Tory Mark Menzies – have been booted from their parties over alleged misconduct and are set to step down but waiting until the election.

Between them they are in line for payouts worth a combined £323,000.

They will be eligible for a “loss of office” payment – worth double the level of statutory redundancy – and “winding up” payment of four months of their £84,000 salary.

For an MP who has been in office for more than 20 years, it amounts to £66,580.

MPs who quit and trigger by-elections are not eligible for such payments.

The cost may be even higher. Eleven more suspended MPs could be in line for payouts if they choose to step down when the election is called, or lose their seats.

It could bring the total to almost £900,000. Lib Dem Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “Yet again taxpayers are being asked to pick up the tab for endless sleaze and scandal under this Conservative Government.”

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, an independent MP since losing the whip after going on I’m A Celebrity while Parliament was sitting, is set to pocket £46,000.

So is Mr Menzies, who was allowed to resign the Tory whip while he was probed over claims he misused party funds. He denied breaking the rules and will step down at the election.

MP Nick Brown quit Labour during a disciplinary process after an undisclosed complaint. He will step down after 41 years, so he is up for £66,580. He strongly denies the claims against him.

MP William Wragg gave up the Tory whip after being caught up in the Westminster honeytrap scandal this month. He will get an estimated £39,574.

Julian Knight, suspended from the Tories over undisclosed “complaints”, is up for £39,574.

Labour suspended Conor McGinn over an unspecified complaint in 2022. He later left, saying he did nothing wrong. He could get £39,500. And suspended ex-Tory Bob Stewart is set to bag an estimated £46,000.