Former Cabinet Secretary Lord O’Donnell has criticized the salary for the UK’s top civil servant position, describing it as “massively underpaid” for the demanding nature of the job. Lord O’Donnell, who is involved in the recruitment process for the £200,000-a-year role, spoke out following the announcement that current Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will step down due to health issues.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour, Lord O’Donnell, who held the role between 2005 and 2011, emphasized that the job entails significant responsibilities, including advising the prime minister, overseeing the implementation of government policies, and managing senior civil servants. He argued that the role should come with a higher salary, noting that he had earned significantly more in subsequent positions with fewer responsibilities.
“It’s massively underpaid in my view—given that I’ve been paid a lot more since, to do a lot less,” Lord O’Donnell said, highlighting the pressures associated with the job. He added that the position of Cabinet Secretary is “an incredibly demanding job.”
The pay for senior civil servants, including the Cabinet Secretary, is determined by the government based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
Lord O’Donnell served as Cabinet Secretary under three prime ministers: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron. He took on the role in 2005 under Blair’s government and continued through Brown’s premiership, before stepping down in 2011 during Cameron’s coalition government.
The recruitment process for Simon Case’s replacement is currently underway. Case, who has been undergoing treatment for a neurological condition, announced his resignation, stressing that his decision was solely due to health reasons.
Lord O’Donnell remarked that Case’s successor would need to establish a strong working relationship with the prime minister’s chief of staff. When Lord O’Donnell spoke to the BBC, Sue Gray held that position, but she has since resigned to take on a new role as the PM’s envoy for nations and regions.
Gray, a former senior civil servant herself, was at the center of controversy over her salary of £170,000, which exceeds the prime minister’s annual earnings of £166,786. She was replaced by Morgan McSweeney, who previously served as Labour’s general election campaign director.
