A recent audit of Whitehall departments conducted by the Daily Mail has uncovered that high-ranking UK officials hold lucrative private-sector positions alongside their government duties. These officials, some earning up to £225,000 annually, hold diverse roles ranging from Formula One consulting to reality television appearances.
Mark Bourgeois and the £225,000 dual-income ceiling
The scale of these secondary incomes is most visible at the very top of the civil service hierarchy. According to the Daily Mail audit, Mark Bourgeois, the chief executive of the Government Property Agency, represents the peak of this financial trend. Earning between £220,000 and £224,999 annually, Bourgeois also serves as a director for the leadership firm Velement.
This level of compensation highlights a significant trend where the highest-paid public servants are also engaging in high-level corporate leadership. while the UK Government maintains that such roles are transparently declared, the sheer volume of wealth being generated outside of primary government roles has sparked intense deate over the focus of the nation's most senior administrators.
From Mercedes-AMG F1 consulting to Channel 4 reality TV
The variety of these "side hustles" extends far beyond traditional corporate consultancy. Emma Hodges, the human resources director at HM Revenue and Customs, earns up to £130,000 from her primary role while also acting as a consultant for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. Similarly, Dr. Steve Hersee, who served as the head of security at the Department for Work and Pensions as of July 2025, gained public visibility as the head of intelligence on the Channel 4 reality series Hunted.
These high-profile roles suggest that the influence and visibility of Whitehall's senior staff extend well into the realms of global sport and mainstream media entertainment. Such diversions from traditional civil service duties represent a unique intersection of public authority and private celebrity.
The overlap between energy policy and AI advisory roles
Beyond entertainment, some secondary roles appear more closely aligned with the specific polcy areas managed by the officials. Karl Hoods, the chief digital and information officer at the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero, serves as an adviser to the artificial intelligence firm Humbot. Meanwhile, Catherine Blair, the chief financial officer at HM Courts and Tribunals Service, earns up to £163,000 and also holds a directorship at the mnaagement consultancy firm Cadrup.
According to Cabinet Office data, these declarations are intended to ensure transparency, yet the proximity of these roles to government decision-making remains a point of contention . Critics, including Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood, have suggested that taxpayers expect public duties to take precedence over these lucrative external engageemnts.
Yoga, Rugby, and the £163,000 "Lifestyle" Side Hustles
The audit also identified a range of unconventional and lifestyle-oriented secondary occupations among officials earning up to £163,000. These roles include working as yoga instructors, fitness trainers, and dance teachers. Other declared activities identified in the report include stand-up comedy, teaching rugby referees, and even owning a retirement home for horses.
This spectrum of activity illustrates how senior civil servants are utilizing their time outside of contracted working hours to generate additional revenue. While these roles may seem disconnected from policy, they contribute to a broader culture of income diversification among the UK's most highly compensated public employees.
Who monitors the hours worked for these private firms?
While the UK Government defends the practice by stating that all approved work must be undertaken outside of contracted hours, several specific questions remain unanswered. How does the government verify that officials like Ian Wallis of HMRC, who is a director of the tech firm Data Strategists, are strictly adhering to their primary employment contracts? Furthermore, what specific oversight exists to ensure that property directors like Noreen Winhall and Kerry Williams do not allow their private building development interests to influence their commercial roles within Whitehall? The current framework relies heavily on self-declaration, leaving the actual enforcement of "outside of hours" work largely unverified by independent bodies.
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