Number of civil servants earning six-figure salaries has spiked by 20% since Labour took power
The number of civil servants earning six-figure salaries has soared by almost 20 per cent in a year - despite Labour’s pledge to cut spending.
There were 3,350 bureaucrats paid between £100,000 and £150,000 at the end of March, up from 2,810 the year before, figures show.
The number of civil servants pocketing between £150,000 and £200,000 also rose by 38 per cent - from 290 to 400 - in just one year.
Meanwhile, the number of civil servants earning more than the Prime Minister - who is paid £169,344 - rose by almost 15 per cent in the year to March 31.
Some 40 mandarins were paid £200,000 or more, up from 35 in 2024, figures released by the Government yesterday show.
It comes despite Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledging in March that Labour would slash Government running costs by more than £2billion a year by the end of the decade.
The Cabinet Office told all departments to cut their administrative budgets by 15 per cent, with expected savings of £2.2billion a year by 2029-30.
Alex Burghart, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: ‘Labour promised they would cut costs, yet they’re doing the opposite - the pay bill is rising.
The number of civil servants earning more than the Prime Minister - who is paid £169,344 - rose by almost 15 per cent in the year to March 31
‘At a time when they are breaking the public finances, they should be showing restraint. More focus should be placed on driving efficiency, cutting waste, and living within our means, rather than inflating the overall pay bill at the taxpayer’s expense.
‘Only the Conservatives have a plan to ensure we live within our means and deliver an efficient civil service.’
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had the greatest number of mandarins earning six figure salaries in the year to March, with 480 people taking home £100,000 or more.
There were 445 MoD civil servants earning between £100,000 and £150,000, up from 290 in 2024. The number earning £200,000 or more doubled from five to 10.
The Department of Health and Social Care had the second highest number of bureaucrats pocketing six-figures - with 405 people - while the Cabinet Office was third with 400.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘We are developing a more agile and productive civil service, reducing departmental administration costs by 16 per cent over the next five years to deliver savings of over £2billion a year by 2030.
‘These positions account for less than 0.7 per cent of the Civil Service. We need to ensure we can attract high calibre people to the civil service, but pay must always be justified, and deliver full value for money for the taxpayer.’
