Chris Wormald has stepped down as the UK’s top civil servant and head of the civil service “by mutual agreement,” the Cabinet Office announced on Thursday.
The move comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to reset his Downing Street operation following controversies over the appointments of Lord Peter Mandelson and Lord Matthew Doyle, despite their association with sex offenders.
Wormald’s exit marks at least the third major departure from No 10 in days, following the resignations of Starmer’s chief of staff and communications director over fallout from the Epstein files and the Mandelson appointment as UK ambassador to the US.
In a statement, departing Cabinet Secretary Wormald said: “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."
Starmer said he was “grateful” for Wormald's “long and distinguished career of public service” and his “support” as the cabinet secretary.
Starmer said he and Wormald reached a mutual decision for him to step down, saying: “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."
The shake‑up comes as Starmer faces pressure both from within his party and the broader political opposition over his handling of the Mandelson-Epstein scandal and the stability of his leadership team.
A successor is expected to be named soon, with Dame Antonia Romeo, currently permanent secretary at the Home Office, widely reported as a frontrunner to become the first female cabinet secretary.
