Sir Keir Starmer was forced to issue an unprecedented ministerial direction after civil servants refused to approve a redundancy payout of more than £260,000 for dismissed Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald.
Senior officials declined to authorise the payment, arguing there was no “clear and compelling” case for removing the country’s most senior civil servant.
The Prime Minister overruled them, concluding his working relationship with the 57-year-old had become untenable.
Sir Chris had been in post for less than a year, having been appointed by Sir Keir himself.
Under his contract, he was entitled to one month’s salary for every year of service since joining the civil service in 1991 – qualifying him for the maximum payout.
Senior Whitehall figures have privately accused the Prime Minister of using Sir Chris as a scapegoat amid the fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal.
“How many sacrifices must be made to remove a stain on the PM’s character?” one source told The Times.
Another said: “The reaction across the civil service has been awful. Not because they all loved Chris, but because they are wondering what happened to Keir Starmer who claimed to be a man who believed in public service and integrity.”
Sir Chris had been in post for less than a year, having been appointed by Sir Keir himself
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Sir Chris is said to have learned he was being removed from media reports over the weekend rather than directly from Downing Street.
The Prime Minister is believed to have blamed him for vetting failures relating to Lord Mandelson – despite him taking up the Cabinet Secretary role just four days before that appointment was announced.
Sir Keir was also allegedly unhappy with his handling of the civil service in driving forward the Government’s agenda.
Dame Antonia Romeo, currently Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, is expected to replace him following a fast-tracked recruitment process, potentially becoming Britain’s first female Cabinet Secretary.
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Sir Keir was allegedly unhappy with his handling of the civil service in driving forward the Government’s agenda
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Her anticipated appointment has not been without controversy, with Lord Simon McDonald claiming evidence exists that she bullied staff during her tenure as consul-general in New York.
“This is the most important job in the civil service. It can’t be chosen on the fly,” he said, before calling for a full and transparent selection process.
The Cabinet Office said the allegations had been investigated at the time and were not upheld.
Allies of Dame Antonia dismissed the claims as “a desperate attempt from a senior male official whose time has passed”.
Dame Antonia Romeo, currently Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, is expected to replace him
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Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, said Sir Chris “had barely started in the Cabinet Secretary role before the anonymous briefings started to scapegoat him and undermine his authority”.
“It is worth remembering that civil servants cannot publicly defend themselves. Undermining senior officials has a chilling effect throughout the civil service, from the leadership group down,” he added.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of sacrificing him to shield himself, describing Sir Chris as “the latest person Keir Starmer has thrown under the bus to save his own skin”.
The Cabinet Secretary’s departure is said to have been delayed by a dispute between the Treasury and Downing Street over who would authorise the payout – a decision that must be published and scrutinised by Government auditors.