"More than 170 top civil servants receive bigger salaries than the Prime Minister, figures released today by the Cabinet Office disclosed.

"They are each paid more than the £150,000 to which David Cameron was entitled until he took a £7,500 pay cut when he arrived in office last month. Between them they earn £29.2m.

"The first civil service pay league table will be required reading for the mandarins - and many of their staff - this morning. They may be puzzled over a series of apparent anomalies: why does Sir Nicholas Macpherson, permanent secretary at the Treasury for the last five years (£175,000- £179,999) earn £15,000 less than his counterpart at the Department for International Development, Nemat Shafik?"

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