FOUR ex-ministers from Merseyside have been urged to hand back pay-offs of up to £10,000 – to say sorry for the terrible "mess" they left the country in.

Launching a fresh attack on Labour's "massive waste", the coalition government said former ministers should set an example by forfeiting their severance pay for leaving office.

But Labour immediately condemned the move as a "pathetic attempt" to distract attention from Bank of England warnings that the economy was entering choppy waters.

Even as the Con-Lib staged a news conference demanding the paybacks, the Bank was cutting its growth forecasts – pointing to shaky business confidence and the government's savage spending cuts.

Angela Eagle (Wallasey) and Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood) were both ministers of state in the last government and were each entitled to receive £10,342 – three months' pay.

Two other MPs – Dave Watts (St Helens North) and Helen Jones (Warrington North) – were government whips, putting them in line for smaller pay-offs of £6,656.

However, it is not known whether all of the four ex-ministers accepted the tax-free payments, which can be rejected.