Letters published on 16 February 2026 confirm that the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary sought, and the Prime Minister granted, a ministerial direction covering the discretionary severance terms for the outgoing Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald. The correspondence has been released as Cabinet Office transparency material. (gov.uk)
As Accounting Officer for the Cabinet Office, Cat Little wrote that she was satisfied the proposed payment would be regular and feasible, but she could not reach a value‑for‑money conclusion and therefore sought a written direction on both value‑for‑money and propriety grounds. She referenced Managing Public Money section 3.9 on conflicts of interest and the precedent that discretionary severance for a Cabinet Secretary is authorised by the Prime Minister. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The request sets out that the proposed award exceeds Sir Chris Wormald’s contractual entitlement but was considered necessary given the short‑notice departure from a unique, high‑profile role and the legal complexity involved. The Accounting Officer added that the Prime Minister could weigh the wider public interest in concluding the matter and preventing distraction from government business. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
In his reply of the same date, the Prime Minister directed the Accounting Officer to proceed, stating that the public interest test was met in bringing the matter to a conclusion and avoiding distraction from the effective operation of government. A ministerial direction places accountability for the spending decision with the minister. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The Accounting Officer copied her request to the Comptroller and Auditor General and to the Chairs of the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Managing Public Money requires prompt notification to Parliament and publication on GOV.UK unless confidentiality is necessary. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Ministerial directions are used when an Accounting Officer judges that one of four standards-regularity, propriety, value for money, or feasibility-cannot be met and a minister nonetheless decides to proceed. They clarify that responsibility for the expenditure rests with the minister rather than the Accounting Officer. (instituteforgovernment.org.uk)
Special severance payments are treated as ‘special payments’ under Managing Public Money. Departments must consult HM Treasury, and any special severance for senior staff is itemised in annual accounts, with individual payments above £300,000 noted separately; departments also report cases to the Cabinet Office, with civil service‑wide data published annually. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)