Former Civil Service Chief Received Record £500,000 Payout After Starmer Dismissal

Former UK civil service chief Chris Wormald received a payout of around £500,000 after being removed from his role by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to newly revealed details. Wormald spent just 14 months as Cabinet Secretary before being replaced by Antonia Romeo. The settlement reportedly exceeded what he was contractually entitled to receive.

The payment was approved after Cat Little, the Cabinet Office permanent secretary, sought a ministerial direction from Starmer in February. She said the settlement was necessary to resolve Wormald’s departure quickly, despite concerns over whether the payment represented value for public money. Little said the circumstances surrounding the high profile departure were complex and that the government had to consider the wider public interest, including avoiding disruption to the running of government.

The payment is believed to be the largest settlement of its kind involving a senior civil servant, surpassing the previous record of £457,000 paid to former Treasury permanent secretary Tom Scholar after he was dismissed by then prime minister Liz Truss.  Wormald was later nominated by Starmer to become a crossbench peer in the House of Lords. The Cabinet Office declined to comment on the specific settlement, saying it does not discuss individual human resources matters. Further details are expected to be published in its annual report and accounts. The size of the payout is likely to raise questions over the use of public money and the terms under which senior civil servants can be removed from their positions.