The Cabinet Secretary who was effectively ousted by Keir Starmer received a payoff totaling more than £850,000. Chris Wormald was awarded 'contractual compensation' of £332,897 and 'additional severance' of £526,598, as detailed in the latest Cabinet Office accounts. A senior civil servant requested that Sir Keir direct the payment to Sir Chris, which required personal approval from the Prime Minister after concerns were raised regarding the value for money for taxpayers.
Upon appointing Sir Chris to the £220,000-a-year position in December 2024, Sir Keir praised him as 'exceptional' and the right choice to 'drive' change. He stated, 'There could be no-one better placed to drive forward our Plan For Change than Chris, and I look forward to working with him as we fulfil the mandate of this new government, improving the lives of working people and strengthening our country with a decade of national renewal.'
Sir Chris was appointed to replace Simon Case, now Lord Case, who received a £200,000 severance package. Reports indicated tensions within the government, with suggestions that Sir Chris was delaying reforms. His tenure was notably brief, making him one of the shortest-serving cabinet secretaries.
Sir Chris has also been nominated for a peerage in the House of Lords. The previous highest civil service payoff was Tom Scholar, who received £457,000 after leaving his role as the Treasury's permanent secretary. The Cabinet Office accounts indicate that Sir Chris has accumulated a pension pot worth £2.7 million, which is expected to provide him with an annual income of between £130,000 and £135,000 upon retirement.
Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart criticized the payout, calling it 'another appalling waste of taxpayers' money by Labour.' He added, 'Whether it's big payouts for fall guys, or gimmicky giveaways, this Government is always happy to spend our money if it thinks it will benefit the Labour Party.'
A Cabinet Office spokesman stated, 'We do not comment on HR matters.' They noted that the Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office received a ministerial direction from the then Prime Minister to proceed with the payment to the former Cabinet Secretary, and that correspondence is a matter of public record. Civil servants had requested Sir Keir to provide a 'direction' after expressing concerns about the payment's value for money. Sir Keir responded to the request in February, asserting his right to 'consider the wider public interest in respect of bringing this matter to a conclusion.'