Scottish Greens leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to walk away with £17,000 payout after being axed from government by Humza Yousaf

The Scottish Greens' co-leaders are set to share a £17,000 taxpayer-funded windfall for being axed from government.

First Minister Humza Yousaf's decision to sack Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater from his government will lead to them both receiving a lucrative pay-off.

Any minister who loses their job is entitled to a 'resettlement grant' worth 25 per cent of their salary.

This means that Mr Harvie, who served as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights, and Ms Slater, who was Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, will both receive a payment of £8,497.

Mr Yousaf now faces a scramble to find replacements to carry out the roles.

Senior figures such as former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, ex-Deputy First Minister John Swinney and former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes are unlikely to be considered for junior ministerial roles.

Several others who have recently rebelled against Mr Yousaf's Scottish Government, including Fergus Ewing, Christine Grahame, Michelle Thomson and Ivan McKee, are also long shots.

It leaves a limited number of backbenchers to choose from who do not already hold government roles.

Mr Yousaf said yesterday that Ms Slater and Mr Harvie's roles 'will be absorbed by the Cabinet Secretary's currently, and then of course we will give some consideration to how they are appropriately divvied up in the future'.

In his formal letter to the two former ministers, he said: 'We can all be proud of our work together to build a greener, fairer and independent Scotland.'