Ken Clarke's ministry of justice (MoJ) spent a "staggering" £43m of taxpayers' cash on outside advice, the government has revealed.

The bill for external consultants covers the period when ministers considered raising the discount given to rapists pleading guilty from a third to half and scrapping the Office of Chief Coroner - plans which were later abandoned amid public outrage.

The total amount spent on advice from outside Whitehall after Clarke became justice secretary in May 2010 and last November, the latest month for which figures are available, was £43,306,399 - an average of £2.28m a month.

Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter said: "It's staggering to find out how much Ken Clarke is spending on consultants.

"It's worse still when you know he is currently pushing through a Bill that takes the same amount of money away from Citizens Advice Bureaux and law centre advice on problems with debt, housing, disability allowances and clinical negligence."

Slaughter accused the government of "splashing" cash on consultants "while taking £45m from the disabled, the poorest and parents of brain-damaged children".

An MoJ spokeswoman said: "We are committed to cutting down on the use of consultants and would only commit to consultancy spend where it is absolutely clear the work cannot be done in-house.

"In specific circumstances consultancy support can offer a fast and flexible way of obtaining necessary skills.

"Even then we are committed to providing the taxpayer with value for money, and always follow established government guidelines."