Research conducted by Talent Insight Group reveals that Sir Keir Starmer’s salary is significantly lower than that of many other world leaders and falls behind the earnings of the Scottish First Minister and the Irish Taoiseach.
In financial terms, the First Minister of Scotland earns £4,430 more annually than the UK Prime Minister, and receives over 127 times more per capita than the UK PM. Meanwhile, the Irish Taoiseach’s salary exceeds Sir Keir’s by over £28,000, equating to more than 12 times more per head of population.
As the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir is entitled to a £172,153 salary, along with access to numerous properties, including 10 Downing Street and the country residences of Chequers, Dorneywood, Chevening, and Stormont. However, the real value of the Prime Minister’s salary has diminished over time, with a standard backbench MP now earning £91,346 upon entering the House of Commons.
Currently, 278 senior government officials and 57 senior BBC staff members earn more than the Prime Minister. The top three earners in the public sector include the Chief Executive Officer of HS2, the Chief Executive Officer of Network Rail, and the Director General of the BBC, each receiving over half a million pounds annually.
Glen Hall, Chairman of Talent Insight Group, commented, “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!”
Download the full report here: Benchmarking the Prime Minister’s Pay.