Former top civil servant receives record pay-off

Former top civil servant Chris Wormald received a record pay-off of nearly £860,000 after being forced out of his job by Sir Keir Starmer in February.

The Cabinet Office's accounts show that 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, and 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.

The pay-off brings Lord Wormald's total for the year to more than £1m, making him the shortest-serving cabinet secretary in the history of the post.

He was replaced by Dame Antonia Romeo and is scheduled to formally take his seat on Thursday as an independent crossbench peer.

Lord Wormald will be an independent crossbench peer and is scheduled to formally take his seat on Thursday. He will be given a seat in the House of Lords in one of Sir Keir's last acts as prime minister, where he will serve as a member of the crossbench group.

The pay-off was part of a special severance package negotiated by Sir Keir Starmer to ensure Lord Wormald could access his pension and other benefits. The majority of the total severance payment was used to cover Lord Wormald's pension contributions, which were reduced due to his early departure from office.

Lord Wormald had taken up the role only a few days before the appointment of Dame Antonia Romeo as head of the Civil Service, and was tasked with