Chris Wormald, the former head of the civil service, received a payout in the region of £500,000 after being removed from his position by Keir Starmer. This payment emerged after Wormald served 14 months as cabinet secretary before being replaced by Antonia Romeo.
The scale of the payout had been subject to speculation, with Cat Little, Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, reportedly requesting a ministerial direction from Prime Minister Starmer in February to override value-for-money concerns before approving it. In her letter at the time, Little stated that the proposed award exceeded Wormald's contractual entitlement.
Little's letter also noted that a settlement of this level was deemed necessary due to the high-profile and unique nature of the role, and the short notice of the departure. She informed the Prime Minister that she could not conclude whether the proposed amount represented value for money, but that Starmer could consider wider public interest in concluding the matter.
The previous highest settlement was £457,000, given to Tom Scholar when he was removed as permanent secretary of the Treasury by Liz Truss. Wormald is set to become a crossbench peer following a nomination by Starmer upon his departure from office. The Cabinet Office has stated it does not comment on individual HR matters, while Whitehall sources indicated that £500,000 was not the exact amount and further details would be in the department's annual report and accounts.