SCOTLAND Office staff are “running for the exit” under Douglas Alexander, the SNP have said, after it emerged that the department paid out nearly £400,000 in severance payments.
The Scotland Office’s Annual Report and Accounts revealed that as well as exit payments for six members of staff, worker satisfaction had also decreased by 11% compared to the year before.
The report covers the tenure of both Ian Murray and Alexander, who took over from the role in September 2025 following a reshuffle by Keir Starmer.
The Scotland Office told The National that the exit payments were part of a voluntary redundancy scheme announced in August 2025, but did not comment on the staff satisfaction score.
In the foreword, Alexander claims that one of the key roles of the Scotland Office is “strengthening our constitutional foundations”.
The report said that the overall staff Employment Engagement Index at the Scotland Office was 55%, compared to 66% in 2024-25. The figure was drawn from results from the Civil Service People Survey, which seeks to gauge civil servants attitudes and experiences of working in different Whitehall departments.
The Office of the Advocate General for Scotland had an 80% score, compared to 75% the year before.
“The Scotland Office incurred £394k exit package costs during 2025-26, nil 2024-25,” the report reads. It adds that there were no exit package costs for the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland in 2024-25 or 2025-26.
It did not reveal the amount each individual was given, instead putting it into bands. One staff member was paid between £10k and £25k and another staff member paid between £25k and £50k.
Four staff members were paid between £50k and £100k.
The report also revealed that 85 staff are in post at the Scotland Office as of March 31, 2026.
It said that 59% were based in Edinburgh and 41% in London. The annual staff turnover for the Scotland Office is 24%.
"With Douglas Alexander as a boss, it's no wonder staff are running for the exit,” SNP MP Seamus Logan said.
"Douglas Alexander is losing staff at an even quicker rate than he lost voters in Scotland. Thank goodness Anas Sarwar is heading south to boost morale.
"To be tasked with ‘strengthening and sustaining the Union’ is a tall order itself never mind watching the days go by in the most redundant office on these islands.
"Through a fresh start with independence, every single civil servant paid for by Scottish tax payers will be dedicated to the prosperity and people of Scotland. Exactly as it should be."
A UK Government spokesperson said: "Alongside 36 other Government Departments in the financial year 25/26, the Scotland Office ran a Voluntary Exit Scheme as part of a Government wide effort to reduce headcount to the levels required by the ongoing financial settlement following the Spending Review.
"The scheme was announced to staff in August 2025."
