The most senior civil servant in government is on the verge of being sacked, it is understood, adding to a growing image of turmoil in Sir Keir Starmer’s Downing Street operation.
Cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald is understood to be at risk of being ousted in the new year, amid growing concerns about his performance in the role.
It comes despite the prime minister reorganising his top team just last month, conducting a full cabinet reshuffle, days after replacing the top civil servant in his No 10 team, Nin Pandit, who previously served as Sir Keir’s principal private secretary.
One senior Labour source told The Times that Sir Chris is now seen to be the “embodiment of Whitehall groupthink”, with ministers privately criticising the civil servant for a lack of dynamism and an excess of caution.
Downing Street is already eyeing up options to replace Sir Chris, sources told The Independent, with options including Louise Casey.
Baroness Casey of Blackstock, a crossbench peer, is often called upon to address complex social issues and has been appointed to lead significant reviews, most recently a cross-party inquiry into adult social care.
But one government minister told The Independent that Baroness Casey’s name is not the only one in the running to be the new cabinet secretary, saying Home Office permanent secretary Dame Antonia Romeo – who was considered for the role when Sir Chris was appointed – is “catching eyes”.
However, a Cabinet Office spokesperson has insisted Sir Chris “continues to have the support of the prime minister and they are working closely together to deliver on the priorities of the British public”.
Sir Keir’s decision to appoint Sir Chris in December raised eyebrows as a result of his previous role as permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care during the Covid pandemic.
He was criticised by a report from the Covid inquiry, which said there had been a “lack of adequate leadership” when it came to preparations for coronavirus.
Speaking to The Times last week, Dominic Cummings – the controversial former adviser to Boris Johnson – said Sir Chris was “part of the old broken system”.
“The old system has shot themselves in both feet, they’ve blown both feet off with Starmer and Wormald, because they’ve made it conventional wisdom now that the old system is broken and has to be succeeded by something much more radical,” he said.
The latest speculation around Sir Chris’s position comes after the departure of a string of senior government officials over the last year.
The departure of Ms Pandit in August came after chief of staff Sue Gray was forced out last October, while Matthew Doyle – the previous director of comms for Sir Keir – stood down in March.
Ms Gray was sacked as chief of staff last year after losing a power struggle with election strategist Morgan McSweeney, following a difficult start to government, plagued by infighting and a row over freebies.
Meanwhile, Mr Doyle departed earlier this year as the prime minister sought to reshuffle his top team of advisers following complaints that he had failed to get his message across on thorny issues like the ditching of winter fuel payments.
It comes amid growing disquiet over the direction of Sir Keir’s government from voters on both the left and the right, with the prime minister’s approval rating hitting an all-time low over the summer amid concerns ministers are struggling to get a grip on delivery.
