Sir Richard Mottram, a top public sector chief, will take home the most generous public sector pension ever awarded, amounting to £2.7m.
Reported by The Telegraph, Mottram, who currently oversees the country’s intelligence and national security policy, will receive a tax-free lump sum of £335,000 and an annual pension of more than £110,000. Annual payouts will rise with inflation, while his wife will continue to benefit after he dies.
Mottram famously hit the headlines in 2001 for his comments after Jo Moore, a special adviser, advised officials to “bury” bad news in the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks. He was heard saying: “We’re all f***ed, I’m f***ed, you’re f***ed, the whole department is f***ed. It’s the biggest cock-up ever. We’re all completely f***ed.”
According to the report, public sector pensions cost taxpayers about £18 billion a year. Each family pays the equivalent of 91p in tax for public sector pensions, for every £1 they put towards their own retirement plans.
The news has angered commentators. Speaking to the paper, Corin Taylor, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “It’s not surprising that public-sector pension liabilities are so high when senior civil servants receive such enormous sums.”
