Cabinet Secretary ousted by Starmer got eye-watering payoff worth more than £850,000

Cabinet Secretary ousted by Starmer got eye-watering payoff worth more than £850,000 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source The cabinet secretary effectively ousted by Keir Starmer was handed a payoff worth more than £850,000. Chris Wormald received 'contractual compensation' of £332,897 and 'additional severance' of £526,598. The eye-watering figures were revealed in the latest Cabinet Office accounts. A top civil servant took the unusual step of asking Sir Keir to ‘direct’ the payoff to Sir Chris. The PM had to order the payment personally after being warned in writing that officials could not be confident it was value for money for the taxpayer. Appointing Sir Chris to the £220,000-a-year job in December 2024, Sir Keir lavished praise on him as 'exceptional' and the right option to 'drive' change. 'There could be no-one better placed to drive forward our Plan For Change than Chris, and I look forward to working with him as we fulfil the mandate of this new government, improving the lives of working people and strengthening our country with a decade of national renewal,' the premier said. Chris Wormald received 'contractual compensation' of £332,897 and 'additional severance' of £526,598 Keir Starmer drafted in a new Cabinet Secretary as one of his final efforts to cling on in No10 Sir Chris was drafted in to replace Simon Case - now Lord Case - who received a £200,000 severance deal. However, there were persistent rumours of tensions, with briefings apparently from No10 suggesting the top mandarin had been holding up reforms. He became one of the shortest-serving cabinet secretaries ever when he was removed. Sir Chris is also set to enter the House of Lords, having been nominated for a peerage in July. The previous highest civil service payoff is thought to have been Tom Scholar, who received £457,000 after departing as the Treasury's permanent secretary. The Cabinet Office accounts reveal that Sir Chris, 57, has built up a gold-plated pension pot worth £2.7million over his career. That will give him an annual income estimated at between £130,000 and £135,000 when he retires. Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart said: 'This payout is another appalling waste of taxpayers' money by Labour. 'Whether it's big payouts for fall guys, or gimmicky giveaways, this Government is always happy to spend our money if it thinks it will benefit the Labour Party.' A Cabinet Office spokesman 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.' Civil servants made Sir Keir give a 'direction' after raising concerns they did not know that the sums represented value for money Sir Keir replied to the request for a direction in February, saying he was entitled to 'consider the wider public interest in respect of bringing his matter to a conclusion'