Sedwill to receive £250,000 payout after stepping down

SIR MARK SEDWILL was given an almost £250,000 payoff to step down from his role as the UK’S most senior civil servant, it was disclosed last night.

In a letter signed by Boris Johnson and published on the government website it stated that Sir Mark was to be awarded £248,189 in “consideration of his employment situation”, the fact his role “was split” and that he was “stepping down early”. The money is “likely to be in the form of a pension contribution”. It comes after Sir Mark last night added to speculation that he had been ousted from his role as he insisted he did not resign from the post.

In a meeting with the national security strategy committee, he confirmed that he had left the position after a conversation with Boris Johnson.

“I haven’t resigned. The Prime Minister and I agreed I should step down, by agreement,” he said.

This newspaper had reported that sources said Sir Mark was “fighting to stay as National Security Adviser” and was resigned to losing his post as Cabinet Secretary, when his departure was announced last month.

Sir Mark warned that in modern politics, civil service officials were seen as “fair game”. “We appear to be in an era where some of us are fair game in the media, and I’m afraid it goes with the territory now,” he said.

“I don’t think it is ever pleasant in government, whether it is against ministers, between them and particularly against officials, when you have briefings to which you cannot really reply, particularly those off the record and sniping away. But it is a regrettable feature of modern politics, I’m afraid.”

A former government official told The Daily Telegraph: “If people leave – and it’s quite clear he would have wanted to stay – the costs are high for senior people. It’s a consequence if senior people leave early. It comes from the fact he’s been forced out.”