The government has published the “high earners” list for the first time in three years.
The Cabinet Office yesterday published the spreadsheet of civil servants, officials and non-execs in departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies earning more than £174,000 a year as of 30 September 2025. Any moves since then are not taken into account.
The data includes those whose total salaries are lower than £174,000 but whose full-time equivalent salaries are above the minimum.
This is the first time the list has been published since the September 2022 figures went up in July 2023. At that time, the list only included salaries of £150,000 and above.
The current list features 568 officials, compared to 664 in 2022.
The list is categorised into roles in three areas: civil service; other central government; and commercial enterprise in the public sector. The top ten earners are all from the latter category.
The highest earner on the list, in terms of total salary, is Mark Wild, chief executive of High Speed Two Ltd (£660,000-664,999), while five of the top ten are from Network Rail.
Top ten earners
1. Mark Wild, chief executive, High Speed Two Ltd = £660,000-664,999
2. Andrew Haines, chief executive, Network Rail = £585,000-589,999 (departed on 17 October 2025 – he is now chair of DfTO)
3. Jeremy Westlake, chief finance officer, Network Rail = £550,000-554,999 (appointed chief executive in August 2025, allowing for a two month handover, during which remuneration reflected the chief exec role, prior to Andrew Haines leaving on 17 October)
4. Nick Elliott, chief executive, AWE plc = £465,000-469,999. Note: no pension
5. David Peattie, chief executive, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority = £445,000-449,999. Note: includes pension allowance
6-7. Redacted, executive director, AWE plc = £395,000-399,999 (left on 2 February 2026); Nicholas Harris, chief exec, National Highways = £395,000-399,999. Note: total pay includes an ongoing £36,000 allowance. No pension
8. Eliska Burrows, managing director, Eastern Region, Network Rail = £390,000-394,999
9-10. Jacob Kelly, managing director, North West & Central, Network Rail = £385,000-389,999; Liam Sumpter, managing director, Scotland's Railway, Network Rail = £385,000-389,999
The highest earner on the list who is not in the commercial category is Ilan Gur, chief executive of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, who is in the "other central government" category and whose £380,000-384,999 salary places him 12th overall.
Among the civil servants in the list, Daniel McGrail, chief executive of Great British Energy, has the highest salary (£350,000-354,999), placing him 15th on the overall list.
Top ten earners (civil service)
1. Daniel McGrail, chief executive, Great British Energy = £350,000-354,999. Note: salary agreed with HMT on appointment
2. Ian Brown, interim chief executive, National Wealth Fund = £370,000-374,999. (Stayed in role until 31 October 2025. Returned to position as chief investment officer on 1 November 2025)
3-4. Samantha Jones, permanent secretary, Department of Health and Social Care = £310,000-314,999; Annie Ropar, chief finance officer, National Wealth Fund = £310,000-314,999
5-6. Andrew Start, chief executive, Defence Equipment & Support = £300,000-304,999; Amy Mason (Rees), chief executive, Homes England = £300,000-304,999
7. Christopher Gardner, chief executive, Submarine Delivery Agency = £285,000-289,999
8. Tim Reid, chief executive, UK Export Finance = £280,000-284,999. Note: HMT approved salary + employee receives a Pivotal Role Allowance
9-10. Michael Ellam, permanent secretary Private Office, Cabinet Office = £265,000-269,999; Stephen Parkinson, director of public prosecutions, Attorney General's Office and Crown Prosecution Service = £265,000-269,999
Samantha Jones is the highest earning departmental permanent secretary on the list and places 25th overall, followed by Andrew Goodall (66th) and Olly Robbins (72nd).
Michael Ellam, who was appointed as Cabinet Office second perm sec for European Union and international economic affairs in January 2025, but is named in the spreadsheet as permanent secretary Private Office in the Cabinet Office, is 49th on the list.
Sir Chris Wormald, who was cabinet secretary until his removal in February, is outside the top 100 at 104th.
Top ten salaries among head of department perm secs
1. Samantha Jones, permanent secretary, Department of Health and Social Care = £310,000-314,999
2. Andrew Goodall, permanent secretary, Welsh Government, £240,000-244,999
3. Olly Robbins, permanent secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office = £235,000-239,999
4. Sir Chris Wormald, cabinet secretary and head of the civil service = £225,000-229,999 (left civil service on 12 February 2026)
5-8. Peter Schofield, permanent secretary, Department for Work and Pensions = £205,000-209,999; James Bowler, permanent secretary, HM Treasury = £205,000-209,999; Dame Antonia Romeo, permanent secretary, Home Office = £205,000-209,999 (now cab sec); David Williams, permanent secretary, Ministry of Defence = £205,000-209,999 (left MoD in autumn 2025)
9-10. JP Marks, chief executive and permanent secretary, HM Revenue and Customs = £200,000-200,499; Jo Farrar, permanent secretary, Ministry of Justice = £200,000-204,999
The other main perm secs earned as follows:
- Sarah Healey, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government = £195,000-199,999
- Cat Little, Cabinet Office = £190,000-194999
- Susanna McGibbon, Government Legal Department = £185,000-189,999
- Gareth Davies, Department for Business and Trade = £185,000-189,999
- Susan Acland-Hood, Department for Education = £185,000-189,999
- Jeremy Pocklington, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero = £185,000-189,999 (left the department on 24 November 2025 to become MoD perm sec)
- Susannah Storey, Department for Culture, Media and Sport = £174,000-179,999
- Jo Shanmugalingam, Department for Transport = £174,000-179,999
- Joe Griffin, Scottish Government = £174,000-179,999
Name game
The ten most popular first names in the list are all names commonly given to men.
Andrew – Greek for "manly" – comes top, with 19 featuring in the list (including one Andy).
It is followed by:
- Michael: 17 (including two Mikes)
- David: 16
- Christopher 15 (including five Chris’s and one Christian)
- Paul: 14
- John: 14 (including five Jonathans and one John-Paul)
- Simon: 13
- Richard: 12
- Mark: 11
- Peter: 10.
The most common surnames are Jones and Marshall (six entries each); followed by Johnson, Shaw and Walker (four each); and Bell, Cooper, Edwards, Hughes, James and Smith (three each).