Boris Takes Axe To Civil Service

Cabinet Secretary ousted in PM’s ‘Whitehall revolution’ led by aide Cummings

- Macer Hall

Boris Johnson launched a sweeping shake-up of Government after forcing out Britain’s chief civil servant last night.

Following the departure of Sir Mark Sedwill, the Prime Minister and his top aide Dominic Cummings are now preparing a root-and-branch overhaul of the Whitehall machine to deliver the policies demanded by Brexit voters.

Sir Mark is quitting as Cabinet Secretary, national security adviser, and Civil Service head by autumn after losing a vicious Downing Street power struggle following a series of clashes with ex-Vote Leave head Mr. Cummings.

Mr. Cummings, who is seeking a massive red tape overhaul, reportedly told aides last week to brace for an imminent shake-up, telling them: “A hard rain’s going to fall.”

The move marks a dramatic change to the way the levers of power in the UK work, with more changes set to follow.

Recovery

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said major Civil Service changes were needed to tackle “group thinks”.

He said the “metropolitan” outlook of decision-makers had helped the Government become “estranged” from the people.

In a weekend speech, Mr. Gove said: “Government departments recruit in their own image, are influenced by the think-tanks and lobbyists who breathe the same London air and are socially rooted in assumptions which are inescapably metropolitan.

“An important part of bringing the Government closer to the people is making sure we have not just a wider spread of decision making across the country but a broader and deeper pool of decision-makers.