Top civil servant sacked by Starmer received record £860,000 payout

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Special approval needed for amount that surpassed what Chris Wormald was ‘contractually entitled to’
The former head of the civil service Chris Wormald received a record payout of almost £860,000 when he was forced out of the top job in Whitehall by Keir Starmer.
Cabinet Office accounts have revealed that the former cabinet secretary, who was sacked earlier this year, was paid £859,496 upon departure. The figure is an unprecedented amount, which required civil servants to seek a special direction from ministers to approve it because it was “greater than what Sir Chris Wormald would be contractually entitled to”.
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About this article
- Length
- 102 words · 1 min read
- Published
- September 14, 2026
- Byline
- Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor
- Source
- The Guardian