The sacking of Chris Wormald, the Cabinet Secretary, by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February resulted in a severance payout of approximately $500,000, a sum described as a record for such departures. Wormald, who served as the shortest-serving Cabinet Secretary in British history, was dismissed as Starmer sought to restructure his Downing Street team amid a political crisis.
Initially, the payout was reported to be around $260,000. However, individuals familiar with the settlement have informed The Financial Times that the final figure exceeded $500,000. The severance package required direct approval from Starmer after Cat Little, the top official at the Cabinet Office, requested a "ministerial direction" due to the award being greater than Wormald's contractual entitlement. Little stated that a settlement of this magnitude was necessary given the departure from a high-profile role agreed upon with short notice, and she sought Starmer's sign-off on "propriety and value for money grounds."
Wormald was appointed Cabinet Secretary in December 2024, with Starmer at the time lauding him as the ideal candidate to reform the British state. His dismissal came at the beginning of 2026 as part of Starmer's broader "reset" of his administration, occurring in the wake of the Peter Mandelson scandal.
One government official confirmed the approximate $500,000 payout, noting the surprise among some at the figure and the necessity of the Prime Minister's approval. The official also commented that Wormald's status as the shortest-serving Cabinet Secretary might have influenced the negotiation of his exit terms.
Antonia Romeo, previously the top civil servant at the Home Office, has replaced Wormald as Cabinet Secretary. Full details of severance payments for senior officials are expected to be disclosed later this year in the Cabinet Office's annual report and accounts. A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office declined to comment on individual human resources matters.