Senior civil servants who are paid up to £225,000 a year by the taxpayer are cashing in with a string of lucrative second jobs in the private sector.
Across Whitehall, dozens of mandarins up to chief executive level have declared second jobs in the past two years, a Daily Mail audit has found.
In some cases, tech or property directors are running IT or housing development firms alongside their day jobs, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
One has a sideline as a consultant for a Formula One team, while a Whitehall security chief stars in a Channel 4 television series. Both earn up to £130,000 in their civil service jobs.
Public officials paid up to £163,000 are also self-employed yoga instructors, fitness trainers or dance teachers. Other side hustles include a stand-up comedian, owning a retirement home for horses and teaching rugby referees.
Emma Hodges, a human resources director at HMRC, is paid up to £130,000 but has a second job as a consultant for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team.
Dr Steve Hersee, who was the Department for Work and Pensions head of security as of July 2025, has a sideline as 'head of intelligence' on Channel 4's reality TV show Hunted. He since appears to have moved to the Home Office as its head of information security.
The highest-paid mandarin to have declared a second job is Mark Bourgeois, chief executive of the Government Property Agency, who is paid between £220,000 and £224,999. He is also a director of the leadership firm Velement.
Catherine Blair, the chief financial officer at HM Courts and Tribunals Service, is also the director of management consultancy firm Cadrup
Steve Hersee is the 'head of intelligence' on Channel 4's reality TV show Hunted. Pictured: Georgina Bradley (left), Ray Howard (centre), and Steve Hersee (right) in Hunter HQ standing in front of desk
Other senior officials have second jobs more closely linked to their day jobs. Karl Hoods, the chief digital and information officer at the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero, is an adviser to the artificial intelligence firm Humbot.
Catherine Blair, the chief financial officer at HM Courts and Tribunals Service, who is paid up to £163,000, moonlights as director of management consultancy firm Cadrup.
Ian Wallis, who earns up to £130,000 as HMRC's director of people analytics and insight, is also director of the tech firm Data Strategists, the latest declaration shows.
Meanwhile, mandarins Noreen Winhall, a commercial director for buildings, and Kerry Williams, a commercial specialist, are directors of property or building development firms, according to details published by the Cabinet Office.
There is no suggestion that any of the officials have broken any rules. They were all asked to comment.
On Sunday, shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said voters 'will rightly ask why some of the highest–paid public servants are taking on lucrative second jobs at the same time as taxes soar'.
He added: 'There is nothing wrong with having outside interests, but taxpayers who are paying these substantial salaries are entitled to expect public duties to come first and to know that there are no conflicts of interest.'
Shimeon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said taxpayers would be 'astonished' that civil servants could 'build lucrative side hustles'. He added: 'These moonlighting mandarins are already on salaries most workers could only dream of. Departments need to get a grip... and make sure taxpayers are getting a full–time civil service for full–time pay.'
The declarations come from publicly available government data published by Whitehall departments – which have to publish details of outside employment held by senior civil servants – between the end of 2024 and July this year.
The Government said: 'Any paid... outside employment must be approved, declared and published for full transparency. Approved work must only be undertaken outside contracted working hours.'
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