Long-serving health boss to become UK’s top civil servant

LONDON — The official who ran England’s health department during the pandemic is being promoted to Cabinet secretary, the most senior civil servant in Britain. 

Citing people familiar with the process, POLITICO first reported Monday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has decided to appoint Chris Wormald to the post, a critical one providing advice to the Cabinet and overseeing operations at the center of government.

The move was subsequently announced by the British government in a statement. Starmer — who interviewed a group of four final candidates for the role — said there was “no-one better placed” to lead the organization than Wormald.

Wormald had the most experience running government departments of any of the candidates, having been in charge of the Department of Health since 2016. 

His appointment follows the resignation on health grounds of Simon Case, who was appointed in September 2020 and served through one of the most tumultuous periods of recent British history. 

Case’s tenure, which began under Boris Johnson, spanned the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the market meltdown induced by Liz Truss’s mini-budget and her subsequent resignation, the appointment of a new prime minister in Rishi Sunak, the outbreak of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and a general election that resulted in a completely new government under Starmer. 

Paying tribute to the outgoing civil service boss, Starmer said Monday: “He has been a remarkable public servant over many years, and our best wishes go to him and his family as he now takes time to focus on his health.”

The Labour prime minister said Wormald would be tasked with Labour’s plans for the “complete re-wiring of the British state” in a bid to “deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform.”

“Delivering this scale of change will require exceptional civil service leadership,” he added.

This developing story is being updated.