Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, has finally put an end to Whitehall’s worst-kept secret by formally announcing that he will quit at the end of the year. It means the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer can finally appoint his own man or woman in the role of the country’s most senior civil servant. Case is leaving his £200,000-a-year job on health grounds, telling colleagues: ‘Whilst the spirit remains willing, the body is not’. He added: ‘It’s been an honour to serve two sovereigns, four prime ministers and over 120 cabinet ministers in this role.’
Case has been in the job since September 2020, when he replaced Sir Mark Sedwill. His tenure in was dogged by the partygate scandal, during which he had to recuse himself from the official investigation into lockdown-busting gatherings after it was revealed a party was held in his own office. Sue Gray subsequently led the investigation, before she announced she was quitting the civil service to become Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. There have been widespread reports – strongly denied – of tensions in Downing Street between Case and Gray in the three months since Labour came to power in July. This probably explains why Case felt the need to add the following in his resignation email: ‘It is a shame that I feel I have to spell this out, but my decision is solely to do with my health and nothing to do with anything else.’
So, who gets the job? The hunt for Case’s replacement is to involve a ‘full, open and transparent process’, with the job advert due to go out on Monday. Touted names include Antonia Romeo, the most senior official at the Ministry of Justice, Sharon White, the former chair of the retailer John Lewis and an ex-treasury senior civil servant, and the Ofcom chief Melanie Dawes, who has also held senior roles in the civil service. Perhaps Starmer will want to appoint the first-ever woman cabinet secretary?
Another name doing the rounds is Sir Oliver ‘Olly’ Robbins, who oversaw the Brexit negotiations under the former PM Theresa May. There were unconfirmed reports before the general election that Sue Gray had held secret talks with Robbins about returning to a major role in Whitehall. Sir Oliver is currently working for a strategic advisory firm based in Mayfair, and had a spell working for Goldman Sachs after leaving the civil service in 2019. Any return for Robbins won’t go down well with Tory Brexiteers because of his past role as the architect of May’s Brexit deal – it was voted down three times by the House of Commons before May’s eventual downfall.
The bottom line is that the cast list to replace Case is a far from inspiring one, and a far cry from the roll call of the brightest and best who occupied the job in the past. I am thinking of people such as Robert Armstrong, who served as cabinet secretary for the majority of Margaret Thatcher’s time in office, Robin Butler (1988–98) and Gus O’Donnell (2005–11). Are the current runners and riders really the best on offer?
The other significant thing about the Case resignation is that he has been something of a lightning rod for dysfunction at the heart of government during Labour’s short time in power. This has been a period marked by infighting and rows over donations and freebies, and will go down in political history as the shortest honeymoon period ever for a new administration. It has been somewhat convenient for some to point the finger of blame at Case for the sense of paralysis at the heart of Whitehall.
That excuse will no longer be available, and Keir Starmer now needs to move fast to fix the problems in Downing Street. He is in need of more than just a new cabinet secretary. He has yet to appoint a principal private secretary (PPS). The No. 10 10 PPS heads the prime minister’s private office, and is the conduit between the PM and the rest of the government. Recent leaders including Johnson, Truss and Sunak quickly appointed civil servants they knew and trusted. Starmer needs to appoint someone soon to this role if he is to begin to grip the government machine.
Downing Street under Starmer, who came into office with no prior ministerial experience, lacks heft, with far too much power ceded to the Cabinet Office, a ramshackle mix of policy teams and bureaucrats pursuing multiple tasks. Simon Case’s departure gives the Prime Minister a much-needed opportunity for a reset. He must act quickly and decisively.
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