Former royal aide Simon Case appointed UK’s top civil servant

The former private secretary to the Duke of Cambridge is set to lead the UK’s Civil Service following his appointment by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Simon Case, who worked for Prince William between July 2018 and May 2020, will start work as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from September 09.  

Case will replace Sir Mark Sedwill who has led the Civil Service since November 2018.

Career civil servant 

Case, 41, has been a civil servant since 2006, reportedly performing well in several important posts.

Most importantly, he has worked in the Ministry of Defense (MoD) as well as the Northern Ireland Office, both considered as amongst the most sensitive government departments.

More recently Case was permanent secretary to Boris Johnson after he left his royal post in May.

As Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service, Case’s main job is to advise the PM on policy implementation and the day-to-day conduct of the government machinery.  

PM approval  

The PM appears very enthusiastic about Case’s appointment, claiming that he is “ideally suited for this crucial [Civil Service leadership] role”.

 For his part, Case described his appointment as an “honor”, before adding: "Over these few months of working on the Covid response, I have seen how much hard work is being done by the Civil Service to support the government and our country through unprecedented times”.

"It is a privilege to come into this role to lead a service that is working day in, day out to deliver for people right across the country", Case said effusively.

A Johnson "ally"? 

But the former royal aide’s appointment is not without controversy, with some opposition parties suspecting a political connection to Case’s meteoric rise.

The Labor Party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, described Case as an “ally” of Johnson in a tweet, before adding: “[The] problem with ‘close allies’ or some might say ‘cronies’ is that they often tend to say what you want to hear”.

— 🌈 Angela Rayner 🌈 (@AngelaRayner) August 31, 2020 ">http://

Boris Johnson “ally” Simon Case poised to be named as head of civil service, the 41-year-old outsider is “closely allied” to the PM. Problem with “close allies” or some might say “cronies” is that they often tend to say what you want to hear. 🤔 https://t.co/vbSk4c6zCa

— 🌈 Angela Rayner 🌈 (@AngelaRayner) August 31, 2020

More broadly, Case takes over the leadership of the Civil Service at a turbulent period which has seen no less than four top civil servants leave their posts early.

The most important resignation was that of Sir Philip Rutnam who in February quit his role as permanent secretary of the Home Office in acrimony, announcing he would take the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, to an employment tribunal.

Top Home Office civil servant quits in a fit of emotion

The effective boss of the Home Office has quit in dramatic fashion and in the process made the position of the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, more precarious than ever.

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