Former top civil servant received pay-off of nearly £860,000

A former top civil servant received a record pay-off of nearly £860,000 after he was forced out of his job by Sir Keir Starmer, just 14 months after the then-prime minister appointed him.

Lord Wormald left his role as cabinet secretary and head of the Civil Service in February by "mutual agreement" following months of media reports suggesting Downing Street was unhappy with his performance.

The Cabinet Office's accounts, external show there was "contractual compensation" of £332,897 and "additional severance" of £526,598.

The BBC understands the size of the pay-off was partly to cover Lord Wormald's pension contributions as his removal from office essentially cut his civil service career short.

He also was compensated for a mandatory "waiting period" following his departure from government. As cabinet secretary he would have had regular access to sensitive information about national security, foreign policy and the UK economy.

His salary for the period 1 April 2025 to 13 February was between £210,000 and £215,000, according to the accounts, bringing his total for the year to more than £1m.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "We do not comment on HR matters.

"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. Their exchange of letters is a matter of public record."

The accounts state Sir Keir authorised the "special severance package" on 16 February.

A note in them also states: "The former cabinet secretary elected to take early payment of his pension.

"The majority of the total severance payment was used to ensure he could access the full value of his pension that would have been due at normal retirement age, rather than it being reduced for early payment."

The BBC has approached Lord Wormald and Sir Keir for comment.

Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: "Chris Wormald was just one of many civil servants and advisers fired by Keir Starmer as he tried to save his own skin.

"This payout is another appalling waste of taxpayers' money by Labour."

The UK's top civil servant sits next to the prime minister during cabinet minister meetings, which usually take place weekly in Downing Street when Parliament is sitting.

They are responsible for ensuring policy decisions are put into action and are ultimately responsible for all civil servants in Great Britain.

At the time of his appointment in December 2024, Sir Keir said Lord Wormald would be tasked with "the complete re-wiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform".

As a career civil servant, some questioned whether he was the best person to reform the Civil Service.

Lord Wormald also had ultimate responsibility for the due diligence checks carried out before Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador, although he took up the role only a few days before the appointment was formally announced.

Lord Mandelson was sacked from the role in September 2025 after Downing Street said new information about the depth of his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein had emerged.

Lord Wormald was replaced in February, making him the shortest-serving cabinet secretary in the history of the post.

The FDA Union, which represents senior civil servants, responded to his departure by criticising "anonymous briefings" against him and called his treatment "a new low for this government and its relationship with the Civil Service".

Lord Wormald was replaced by Dame Antonia Romeo.

He was later given a seat in the House of Lords in one of Sir Keir's last acts as prime minister.

Lord Wormald will be an independent crossbench peer and is scheduled to formally take his seat on Thursday.