Britain’s most senior civil servant is preparing to quit next year after overseeing a transition to a Labour government, it has emerged.
Simon Case, whose spell in charge of Whitehall has been dogged by the Partygate scandal, will reportedly stand down as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service in January 2025.
According to the Sunday Times, Sir Oliver ‘Olly’ Robbins – who drafted Theresa May’s disastrous Brexit deal – has been lined up as a potential replacement.
The newspaper reported that Sue Gray, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has held secret talks with Sir Oliver about returning to a top role in Whitehall.
Mr Case has been the UK’s most senior official since September 2020, when he replaced Sir Mark Sedwill as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service.
Simon Case, whose spell in charge of Whitehall has been dogged by the Partygate scandal, will reportedly stand down as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service in January 2025
Sir Oliver ‘Olly’ Robbins – who drafted Theresa May ‘s disastrous Brexit deal – has been lined up as a potential replacement
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The 45-year-old, a former GCHQ boss and top aide to Prince William, returned to work at the beginning of this year after taking leave due to a ‘private medical matter’.
This meant he missed a scheduled appearance in front of the Covid Inquiry, although he belatedly gave evidence to the pandemic probe last month.
According to the report, Mr Case is still working from home at least two days a week in his £200,000-a-year role – but insiders stressed he is taking calls and fully engaged when not physically present in Whitehall.
He is expected to quit in the New Year after overseeing the transfer of power from the Tories to Labour, if Sir Keir wins the general election on 4 July.
Ms Gray, who oversaw the Partygate report into lockdown parties across Whitehall before joining Sir Keir’s team, is said to have held informal talks with Sir Oliver about replacing Mr Case.
He is said to be in contention for the role of cabinet secretary or Downing Street permanent secretary, which has been unoccupied for two years.
Any return for Sir Oliver to a senior Whitehall job would likely anger Tory Brexiteers due to his past role as the architect of Mrs May’s Brexit deal.
The former PM’s agreement, negotiated by Sir Oliver with the EU, was rejected three times by the House of Commons before her downfall as PM.
Sir Oliver is currently working at Hakluyt, a Mayfair-based strategic advisory firm, having previously worked for Goldman Sachs after leaving the civil service in 2019.
