WORMALD RECEIVES £500,000 PAYOUT AFTER STARMER REMOVES CABINET SECRETARY

Chris Wormald, the former cabinet secretary, received a payout of approximately £500,000 after Keir Starmer removed him from the role in February, according to reports. Wormald served for 14 months before being replaced by Antonia Romeo. The payment is understood to be a record sum for such a departure in the civil service.

Cat Little, permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office, sought a ministerial direction from Starmer to approve the settlement, as value-for-money concerns had been raised. In her letter to the prime minister, Little stated that the proposed award exceeded what Wormald would be contractually entitled to receive. She wrote that whilst she could not definitively conclude whether the settlement represented value for money, the prime minister could consider wider public interest considerations, including preventing distraction from effective government operation. The previous highest settlement was paid to Tom Scholar, who departed as permanent secretary of the Treasury following Liz Truss's appointment as prime minister.

The Financial Times first reported the payout figure. The settlement was approved at short notice, with Little's letter indicating that the complexity of the legal position and employment rights considerations necessitated the higher award amount. Reports note that Wormald was also appointed to the peerage following his departure from the cabinet secretary role.