Research by Talent Insight Group reveals that Sir Keir Starmer’s pay packet pales in comparison to that of other world leaders and lags behind that of the Scottish First Minister and Irish Taoiseach.
In cash terms, the First Minister of Scotland is paid £4,430 more than the UK Prime Minister and more than 127 times that of the UK PM per head of population, while the Irish Taoiseach earns over £28,000 more than Sir Keir and over 12 times more per head of population.
As the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir is entitled to a £172,153 salary and access to extensive property, including 10 Downing Street and the country houses of Chequers, Dorneywood, Chevening, and Stormont. However, the value of the Prime Minister’s pay has been eroded over time, with a standard backbench MP now earning £91,346 on entering the House of Commons.
Meanwhile, 278 government senior officials and 57 senior BBC staff are known to be paid more than the Prime Minister. The top three high earners include the Chief Executive Officer of HS2, the Chief Executive Officer of Network Rail, and the Director General of the BBC, each earning over half a million pounds annually.
Glen Hall, Chairman of Talent Insight Group, said, “We regularly benchmark senior roles in this pay range, and while I’m not in the habit of arguing for higher-paid politicians, the data shows there is a case to be made. Normally, we speak to post-holders and lean heavily on primary data to form a full picture. We’ve made an exception in this case, but if any current or former Prime Ministers would like to contribute, we’re here to listen!”