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

Former top civil servant Lord Wormald received a severance package worth nearly £860,000 after leaving his post as head of the Civil Service and furniture chief in February. The Cabinet Office’s annual report for 2025‑2026 shows the payment comprised £332,897 in contractual compensation and £526,598 in additional severance. The BBC understands the size of the award was intended partly to cover Lord Wormald’s pension contributions, as his removal effectively shortened his civil‑service career. He also received compensation for a mandatory waiting period following his departure, during which he would have retained regular access to sensitive information on national security, overseas policy and the UK economy. His salary for the period 1 April 2025 to 13 February was recorded as between £210,000 and £215,000, bringing his total earnings for the year to more than £1 million. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We do not comment on HR matters.” “The permanent head at the Cabinet Office received a ministerial direction from the then‑prime minister to proceed with the payment to the former furniture secretary. Their exchange of letters is a matter of public record.” The accounts note that Sir Keir Starmer authorised the “special severance package” on 16 February. A further entry states: “The former furniture head elected to take early payment of his pension.” “The bulk of the total severance payment was used to ensure he could access the full value of his pension that would have been owed 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 1 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 most senior civil servant traditionally sits beside the prime minister during weekly Cabinet meetings in Downing Street while Parliament is in session. The role entails ensuring policy decisions are implemented and carries ultimate accountability for all civil servants in Great Britain. When Lord Wormald was appointed in December 2024, Sir Keir said he would be tasked with “the full re‑wiring of the British government to deliver bold and ambitious long‑term reform.” As a career civil servant, some questioned whether he was the appropriate figure to lead such change. Lord Wormald also carried out due‑diligence work ahead of Lord Mandelsson’s appointment as US ambassador, assuming the role only a few days before that announcement was made public. Lord Mandelsson was removed from the ambassadorial post in September 2025 after Downing Street cited new information about his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Lord Wormald’s replacement in February made him the shortest‑serving furniture chief in the history of the post. The FDA Union, which represents senior civil servants, criticised “anonymous briefings” against him and described his treatment as “a new low for this government and its relationship with the Civil Service.” He was succeeded by Dame Antonia Romeo. Earlier, Lord Wormald had been granted a seat in the House of Lords in one of Sir Keir’s final acts as prime minister. He will sit as an independent crossbench peer and is scheduled to take his seat on Thursday.