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Number of civil servants on £100k almost doubles

It looks like trimming the fat isn’t going too well at the civil service, despite the government’s middling efforts.

Between 2016 and 2018 the government capped pay rises for mandarins – and froze salaries entirely in 2021 to bring down the costs of the bloated public sector. New analysis from the TaxPayers’ Alliance though shows that this hasn’t been entirely successful. In fact, the number of civil servants earning more than £100,000 has increased by 88 per cent since 2016. Now 2,050 officials earn more than £100k, up from 1,090 seven years ago. There are now also 195 mandarins earning more than £150,000.

Readers may be wondering how it is that salaries have managed to rise so significantly, given the wage freezes in place. According to the TPA this is because salary freezes are tied to civil service grade levels.

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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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