Londo (Parliament Politics Magazine) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed Sir Chris Wormald as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, replacing Simon Case, who stepped down due to ill health.Â
Chris Wormald, the long-serving permanent secretary at the Department for Health, has been chosen by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to succeed Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary, who served under Boris Johnson in 2020.
The significant appointment of Sir Chris Wormald comes just ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s first major relaunch, where the prime minister will reveal his “plan for change.”
Under the Keir Starmer new agenda, Sir Chris Wormald will lead efforts to oversee Whitehall with a focus on Labour’s key goals, including economic growth, NHS reform, public safety, energy security, and social mobility.
The government announced on Monday that Sir Chris will take charge as cabinet secretary on 16 December.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to Mr Case for his contributions and said he was “delighted” that Chris Wormald had accepted the position.
Sir Starmer stated, “He brings a wealth of experience to this role at a critical moment in the work of change this new government has begun.”
As his relaunch approaches, after months of Labour’s dip in the polls, the prime minister said, “To change this country, we must change the way government serves this country… from breaking down silos across government to harnessing the incredible potential of technology and innovation, it will require nothing less than the complete rewiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform.”
He added, “Delivering this scale of change will require exceptional civil service leadership. There could be no-one better placed to drive forward our plan for change than Chris.”
Mr Chris Wormald became the Department for Health’s top civil servant in May 2016, after holding several prominent roles in Whitehall, including as the permanent secretary at the Department for Education and director general in the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.
In response Sir Chris remarked, “I am delighted that the prime minister has appointed me to the privileged role of leading our talented civil service, as we rise to the challenge of delivering the government’s focused agenda to deliver its plan for change.”
He continued, “So I look forward to working with leaders across government, to ensure that the civil service has the skills they need to deliver across the breadth of the country.”
Sir Chris Wormald is known for his reformist approach, combining “engaging wide-boy charm with bureaucratic mastery.” His experience in various departments has given him a unique perspective on public service challenges, particularly in education and health.
Some insiders back Chris Wormald’s appointment, highlighting his deep understanding of Whitehall’s complexities, while critics, like Dominic Cummings, former Downing Street adviser, have doubted whether he can overcome bureaucratic resistance and deliver major reforms.
Mr Dominic who was working in No 10 during the COVID-19 pandemic, criticized Chris Womralds’s appointment and posted on X, “The Westminster system is totally determined to resist any change.”