Boris picks Prince William’s former aide to be head of UK civil service
Simon Case will be announced as the next Cabinet Secretary tomorrow, taking over from Sir Mark Sedwill, according to the Financial Times.
The 41-year-old will become one of the most powerful people in Whitehall, overseeing Boris Johnson’s sweeping reforms to the civil service.
Mr Case spent almost two years working as the Duke of Cambridge’s right-hand man before temporarily moving to Number 10 earlier this year to assist with the coronavirus pandemic.
Before joining the Royal Household in 2018, Mr Case was a private secretary to David Cameron and helped with the delivery of the London 2012 Olympics.
His expected promotion to Cabinet Secretary comes as tensions between civil servants and Downing Street have soured to the point where five permanent secretaries have left their roles in the last six months.
Mr Case’s predecessor Sir Mark announced he would step down from the post amid reports of clashes with the PM’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings.
A formal announcement is expected to be made on Tuesday, but some Whitehall sources have questioned whether the relatively inexperienced Mr Case is up to the job.
One told the i: ‘He’s hardly a master of Bayesian stats, is he?
‘A historian. Never done a big delivery job, and only spent one year as a proper director general in the Northern Ireland Office and principal private secretary to the PM and Royal Household.’
Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘An official announcement on the new Cabinet Secretary will be made on Tuesday 1 September.’
Mr Case spent almost two years working as the Duke of Cambridge’s right-hand man before temporarily moving to Number 10 earlier this year to assist with the coronavirus pandemic.
Before joining the Royal Household in 2018, Mr Case was a private secretary to David Cameron and helped with the delivery of the London 2012 Olympics.
His expected promotion to Cabinet Secretary comes as tensions between civil servants and Downing Street have soured to the point where five permanent secretaries have left their roles in the last six months.
Mr Case’s predecessor Sir Mark announced he would step down from the post amid reports of clashes with the PM’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings.
A formal announcement is expected to be made on Tuesday, but some Whitehall sources have questioned whether the relatively inexperienced Mr Case is up to the job.
One told the i: ‘He’s hardly a master of Bayesian stats, is he?
‘A historian. Never done a big delivery job, and only spent one year as a proper director general in the Northern Ireland Office and principal private secretary to the PM and Royal Household.’
Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘An official announcement on the new Cabinet Secretary will be made on Tuesday 1 September.’
