02 January 2024 , 19:00
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Severance payouts for short-lived Education ministers during last year's political chaos could have funded nearly 13,500 free school meals, analysis reveals today.
The ministerial "merry-go-round" triggered by the collapse of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss's Governments led to bumper payouts in the Department for Education, with some politicians earning more in severance pay than they were paid for short stints in their roles. A whopping £33,982 was paid out to DfE ministers who earned just £15,058 on the job last year, official accounts show.
Top Tory Kit Malthouse was paid £16,876 in severance pay after serving as Education Secretary during Ms Truss's doomed Government, despite earning only £4,355 during this time. The-then Schools Minister Kelly Tolhurst received a £7,920 payout, while Andrea Jenkyns got £5,593 after serving as Skills Minister.
Ex-School Standards Minister Jonathan Gullis was paid a severance fee of £3,593. Michelle Donelan, who served as Education Secretary in the dying days of Mr Johnson's premiership, said she would waive her £16,876 payout as she was only in office for two days.
The bill for these payouts could have funded 13,431 free school meals at the usual cost of £2.53 per dinner, according the analysis by the Liberal Democrats. Lib Dem Education spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “It is an absolute disgrace that these short lived Department for Education officials were paid such an eye watering sum when not a single one of them were in the job long enough to justify putting it on their CV.
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"For the price of their incompetence, tens of thousands of children could have received a hot lunch to boost them through the school day. This Conservative Government’s infighting has made the Department of Education a merry-go-round with constant changes of personnel and that is really damaging for our children’s education."
The Mirror has been campaigning for universal free school meals in all primary schools to boost attainment and ensure no child goes hungry. But the Government has resisted calls from teachers, doctors, health experts and food campaigners to widen provision.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “It is misleading to suggest these payments had any impact on our ability to provide free school meals. There are long-standing rules in place to determine what ministers are entitled to receive as severance pay and this does not affect the provision of any services.
“We spend over £1 billion a year to provide free meals to every child who needs one and this government has extended free school meal eligibility more than any other.”