Anger at MP Grant Shapps' 'golden goodbye' after he stood down as minister

Grant Shapps - Image credit: PA Images

Conservative MP Grant Shapps was handed a four-figure “golden goodbye” after he stood down as a minister at the height of the Tory bullying scandal, according to Holyrood’s sister site PoliticsHome.

UK Government documents show he received a “termination payment” of nearly £8,000 - equivalent to three months' salary - after quitting as an overseas aid minister.

Former Tory co-chairman Shapps stood down in November amid claims he failed to act on allegations of bullying by Mark Clarke against young Tory activists.

He was the Conservative co-chairman when Clarke was brought in to run the ‘Road Trip 2015’ campaign during the election.

Tory bosses set up an inquiry, carried out by lawyers Clifford Chance, following the death of party activist Elliott Johnson, who named Clarke in a suicide note.

At the time of his resignation, Shapps said: "Whatever the rights and wrongs of a serious case like this, responsibility should rest somewhere.

“Over the past few weeks – as individual allegations have come to light – I have come to the conclusion that the buck should stop with me."

A report into the scandal was published yesterday, which cleared Shapps of wrongdoing - although it was branded a “whitewash” by Johnson's parents.

According to the annual report and accounts from the Department for International Development, Shapps was handed £7,920 when he stepped down from his role.

Labour MP John Mann today demanded Shapps return the payment.

“It’s wholly inappropriate to be receiving money when you have quit in this way,” he told PoliticsHome.

“Nobody should get it and the practice should be stopped. He should not have accepted it and he should give it back. It’s not going to help his reputation.”

John O’Connell, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, told PoliticsHome: "MPs know that any job in government is not a job for life.

“So when a minister stands down of their own volition there can be no justification for awarding them a large chunk of taxpayers' cash. 

“When further savings need to be found across the public sector, these golden goodbyes are ripe for being cut."

A government source told PoliticsHome the payment was in line with usual policy. Grant Shapps could not be reached for comment.