Former Labour first minister Henry McLeish has racked up more than three quarters of a million pounds in pension payments in return for his year and 13 days as first minister.
The ex-Central Fife MSP has received £34,000 a year since he quit the top job in 2001 over mistakes sub-letting his constituency office in Glenrothes.
The figure contrasts with that of outgoing SNP first minister Humza Yousaf. Thanks to a rule-change in 2009, he will only get around £2,000 per year once he turns 65, despite serving an almost identical time in office to Mr McLeish.
The renewed interest in the use of public money comes after inaccurate claims Mr Yousaf was about to receive as much as £52,000 each year.
How the pair compare
Mr Yousaf’s term of one year and 40 days, presuming John Swinney is sworn in as expected on Wednesday this week, beats Mr McLeish’s time in office by a matter of days.
Since he stood down in November 2001, Mr McLeish, who insisted the scandal dubbed Officegate was a “muddle not a fiddle”, will have received 269 monthly payments from the public purse, totalling just over £762,000.
It is understood the payment is likely to have increased with inflation, meaning the true figure could be even higher.
He previously resisted calls to turn the pension down, and defended accepting the payment in 2016, saying: “That was the rules and regulations at the time and I have no further comment to make.”
Mr McLeish – who could not be reached for comment – will also have access to up to four additional pensions, one from his time as Central Fife MP and another as a former MSP.
He may also benefit from a UK ministerial pension after a short stint in the Scotland Office, as well as any retirement benefits accrued during his time as leader of Fife Regional Council between 1982 and 1987.
Former first ministers were previously entitled to an annual payment roughly equal to 50% of their salary.
It was modelled on the arrangements for prime ministers, on the basis it would be their last job before retirement.
Both Alex Salmond and Jack McConnell benefit from similar pension arrangements, but the rules were changed in 2009.
Holyrood bosses issued a correction after Mr Yousaf’s potential pension was incorrectly reported by some media titles.
The new rules mean both he and Nicola Sturgeon will receive an inflation-linked pension each year of either 1/40th or 1/50th of their salary for each year they were in office, depending on the scheme they opted for.
Given Mr Yousaf served just over 12 months in the top job, parliament officials suggest his first minister’s pension will be around £166 each month, payable from age 65.
Ms Sturgeon, whose pension pot was worth around £500,000 by March 2022, will be entitled to a payment of around £20,000, or 20% of her final salary, each year after she turns 65.
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