Average UK fat cat pay surged to £5.9m last year - but firms say it's not enough

Average UK fat cat pay surged to £5.9m last year - but firms say it's not enoughTop bosses running some of Britain's biggest companies saw their pay and perks go up 4.5 times faster than a typical UK worker last year - but shareholders asked to approve new average 200% surgeCommentsMoneyGraham Hiscott Business and Consumer Editor13:28, 20 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesNext chief executive Lord Wolfson raked in £7.4m - a record for the firm - last yearThe average pay packet for Britain’s top fat cat bosses has surged by almost a fifth in the past year, research has revealed.‌Analysis by accountants Deloitte showed the typical FTSE 100 chief executive raked in almost £5.9million in pay and perks last year.‌The bumper sum was just under 18% up on the £5million the year before, meaning pay for those at the very top of business leapt around 4.5 times faster than the average UK worker.‌Deloitte combed through information on 55 FTSE 100 companies that have published their latest annual reports.While to most people it would seem that executives are already coining it in, those who set boardroom pay actually want in many cases the green light to hand them even bigger rewards. The analysis shows that 26 out of 55 companies are seeking shareholder approval for new binding pay policies for their top bosses. Of those, 16 are proposing significant increases in what executives could rake in, with an average 200% leap. Any such increase would usually only be achieved if performance targets for the long-term incentive plans are met.View 2 ImagesAstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot netted £17.7m in pay and perks last year(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)‌Yet it appears companies are also watering down the targets executives need to hit on areas such as the environments. Twenty of the 55 companies are reducing the weighting used for environmental, social, and governance measures when deciding if big bosses should bag bumper bonuses.There have been growing calls in the City for executives runnin...