Nick Harris, chief executive of National Highways, was paid two and a half times as much as the prime minister in 2024.

Accounts published by National Highways reveal that Harris received £426,304 in 2024-25, including performance bonuses. In comparison, says Construction Index, the prime minister Keir Starmer has an annual salary of £172,153.

Mr Harris was rewarded with an 8% pay rise last year while the agency’s employees received 5%. The median salary at National Highways was £39,477 last year, up from £37,697 in 2023-24.

The annual report also shows that National Highways’ 6,800 staff each took an average of 11.7 days off sick last year – totalling more than 79,500 days, which, with roughly 260 working days in a year, equates to more than 300 years of working hours lost to sick leave in the agency last year alone.

(Pic: Highways News)