Sir Keir Starmer has been delivered another crisis as his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald who is the most senior civil servant in the UK has resigned from Downing Street.
This is yet the most high-profile resignation Labour has so far faced after the Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney quit on Sunday and then the director of communications Tim Allan resigned.
It has bee revealed that Sir Chris agreed by mutual consent to resign with immediate effect, the Cabinet Office confirmed, however, senior officials say he was pushed.
Sir Chris said in a statement, “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as a civil servant for the past 35 years, and a particular distinction to lead the service as cabinet secretary.
“I want to place on record my sincere thanks to the extraordinary civil servants, public servants, ministers, and advisers I have worked with.
“Our country is fortunate to have such dedicated individuals devoted to public service, and I wish them every success for the future.”
The Prime Minister said in a statement, “I am very grateful to Sir Chris for his long and distinguished career of public service, spanning more than 35 years, and for the support that he has given me over the past year.
“I have agreed with him that he will step down as cabinet secretary today. I wish him the very best for the future.”
The Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said, “The Cabinet Secretary is the latest person Keir Starmer has thrown under the bus to save his own skin.
In a letter to the Civil Service Commission before Sir Chris quit, Badenoch said, “It is hard to escape the conclusion that the Cabinet Secretary is simply the latest person to be thrown under a bus by this Prime Minister.
“It is all the more concerning to be changing Cabinet Secretary in the midst of the ongoing scandal over the appointment of Lord Mandelson and his conduct in office.”
