The Home OfficeThe country’s leading civil servant was given a £455,000 salary package, which included a £20,000 bonus, as the number of small boat arrivals increased.
In addition to his £200,000 yearly income, Sir Matthew Rycroft was given a £50,000 ‘exit payment’ – with £30,000 being tax-exempt – upon leaving his role as permanent secretary at the end of March.
The annual financial reports of the Home Office, which categorize amounts in £5,000 increments, indicated that the senior official was given a performance-based bonus ranging from £20,000 to £25,000.
It was considerably more than his £5,000 to £10,000 bonus from the prior year.
Beginning from the start of the financial year outlined in the report until Sir Matthew’s exit on March 28, official data indicates 38,023small boat migrants reached Britain.
There was an increase of 26 percent compared to the 30,288 individuals who arrived during the same period in 2023-24.
Sir Matthew also received a sum of £179,000 in pension benefits for that year.
It increased his overall compensation package to between £455,000 and £460,000.
Sir Matthew, who is 57 years old, informed his colleagues in February that he was departing the Home Office “for new opportunities.”
He received a knighthood in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List for ‘services to British diplomacy, development, and domestic policy’.
At that moment, several high-ranking political individuals showed astonishment at the outcome.
In total, senior officials from the Home Office received bonuses ranging from £80,000 to £120,000 in the previous year.
The report revealed that Phil Douglas, the Director General of the Border Force, was awarded a total package ranging from £275,000 to £280,000.
He also received a bonus ranging from £10,000 to £15,000 in addition to his salary, which was between £145,000 and £150,000, along with pension contributions.
Dan Hobbs, the head of Migration and Borders, was given a bonus of up to £5,000 in addition to his annual income ranging from £130,000 to £135,000, resulting in a total compensation package between £265,000 and £270,000, which includes £128,000 in pension contributions.
The report verified that Martin Hewitt, the Border Security Commander and former chief constable, earns between £200,000 and £205,000 annually.
The second permanent secretary, Simon Ridley, received a salary ranging from £170,000 to £175,000 along with £82,000 in pension benefits.
The reports, released today, explain that civil servants’ bonuses are tied to their performance.
It stated, “Bonuses depend on the performance levels achieved and are provided during the evaluation process.”
In November 2023, members of parliament werewas frustrated by the insufficient information Sir Matthew offered regarding the expenses of the Rwanda asylum program, which was still being developed.
After a number of discussions in which Sir Matthew and his deputy Simon Ridley could not provide answers, committee chair Dame Diana Johnson questioned: ‘Do we have any statistics regarding anything?’
Lady Diana has become a minister in the Home Office, and worked alongside Sir Matthew at the department from the election in July last year until his exit.
The numbers emerged as migrants were observed running across a French beach to get to a small boat.
In scenes similar to the opening sequence of the 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, migrants ran along the shore at Gravelines, close to Calais, this morning.
Hundreds of migrants are believed to have arrived in Britain today.
After Labour took office, 45,746 individuals have arrived, excluding today’s unverified figure.
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