Former PM David Cameron pushed through £1.7 MILLION in severance pay for his advisers when leaving Downing Street
The former Tory leader sparked uproar by doling out an array of peerages, knighthoods and medals to his favourites when he left Downing Street
DAVID Cameron pushed through a jumbo £1.7m in severance pay for his former special advisers on top of all their gongs, it has been revealed.
The ex-PM’s final glad handing for his team of flunkies has been revealed in annual transparency figures released by the Cabinet Office.
The former Tory leader sparked uproar by doling out an array of peerages, knighthoods and medals to his favourites when he left No10 in July.
But it has now also emerged that a total of 60 ‘spads’ also got generous goodbye bungs at the same time – averaging £28,000 each.
His closest aides trousered far more, with his chief spin doctor Sir Craig Oliver landing the biggest sum, a £70,000 pay off, despite losing the EU referendum fight.
In one of his final acts in power, Mr Cameron over-ruled mandarins’ advice to personally push through an order to double his long standing’ spads’ severance pay from three to six months.
It also emerged last night that new Premier Theresa May has cut the number of spads in her government from 95 to 83.
She has also slashed their total pay bill from £9.2m in 2015, down to £7.9m for the current year.
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Mr Cameron’s huge spending on political aides comes despite a promise to reduce the cost of politics and curb the number of special advisers when he was first entered Downing Street in 2010.
Some of Mrs May’s current top team of aides are still paid very generously, the new figures revealed.
A total 17 of her Downing St advisers earn more than an MP’s salary of £75,000 a year.
And the PM’s two joint chiefs of staff – Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill – are on £140,000 a year each.
The number of senior state employees who are paid more than the PM’s £150,000 annual wage has shot up in the last year.
A total of 405 senior civil servants, quango bosses and public bodies now take home more than Mrs May, up from 242 in 2015.
Labour attacked Mrs May last night for “continuing David Cameron’s legacy of big salaries for top aides”.
Deputy Leader Tom Watson said: “Theresa May came in to Downing Street promising to put ordinary people first.
“While most people are having to tighten their belts under the Tories, it’s a completely different story for those in Theresa May’s inner circle.
“Some of these pay rises are eye-watering. It shows that for the Tories it’s one rule for them and another for everyone else.”