An audit of Whitehall accounts by the Daily Mail has found that "golden goodbye" severance payments to civil servants and staff at taxpayer-funded public bodies more than doubled in a single year, rising to over £300million as departments moved to shed staff. The findings come amid separate criticism over rising Whitehall headcounts, and follow controversy this month over a roughly £500,000 exit package paid to former Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald after just 14 months in the role. Critics, including a Conservative MP and the TaxPayers' Alliance, described the scale of the payouts as excessive at a time when the tax burden is at a near 80-year high.

The audit found 6,000 former staff received exit packages worth £336million in 2025-26, up sharply from £153million paid to 3,353 staff the previous year, with one payout to a senior environment department official worth up to £350,000 and 25 packages exceeding £200,000. Separately, analysis showed Whitehall headcounts grew by 33.3 per cent (139,485 roles) between 2016 and 2026, three times the growth rate of the wider public sector, pushing the workforce to around 557,825 and the annual wage bill to about £22.5billion. The energy department paid out the most in exit packages (£74million to 880 staff), followed by culture and media (£46million, largely to BBC-linked staff) and transport (£44.5million), while Whitehall sources said the payments were partly aimed at cutting roles following £300million set aside for job reductions in the last Spring Statement.