MINISTERS who left government for rule breaking, personal ambition or who were sacked should refund hundreds of thousands of pounds they got in severance payments, Labour said yesterday.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jo Platt called for the refund of money paid to ministers and advisers who quit their jobs, were fired for incompetence, or who lost seats in the 2017 general election.

She accused the government of rewarding “failure” and said many of the people who received “handsome payouts” are now back in the Cabinet less than a year later.

In response, a government spokesperson stated severance payments for ministers are set out in law and, for special advisers, are a contractual entitlement.

But only special advisers have to repay their severance payment if re-employed after quitting due to their minister leaving office, or as a result of a general election, they added.

Ms Platt called for the repayment of “every penny” taken “from the public purse.”

According to analysis by Politico, almost £850,000 was paid out to ministers and advisers who quit, lost their jobs, or who were fired during Theresa May’s tenure as prime minister.

Politico said this includes payments to current Prime Minister Boris Johnson, current Home Secretary Priti Patel, current Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and current Housing Minister Esther McVey.

All bar Ms Patel resigned in protest over Ms May’s handling of Brexit and her widely panned Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union.

Mr Johnson received £16,876 for having quit as foreign secretary, and could also get an £18,860 severance payment if he is ousted as PM this autumn in a vote of no confidence or snap general election.

Ms Patel had resigned as international development secretary after she was found to have had secret meetings with senior Israeli officials in 2017, for which she received a £17,000 golden goodbye.

Two years later, she was appointed home secretary by Mr Johnson.

Ms Platt said: “Rarely has failure been so richly rewarded as it was in Theresa May’s government.

“In no other walk of life would people be rewarded for breaking the rules, resigning for personal ambition or getting sacked for incompetence and repeated failure.

“The fact that so many of these people are back in the Cabinet less than a year after receiving handsome payouts stinks.

“It’s one rule for the Tories and another for everyone else.”