Profile of the Newly Appointed Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has named Sir Chris Wormald as his Cabinet Secretary, a role that serves as the head of the civil service and is considered one of the most influential positions within the government. In his announcement, the prime minister stated his ambition for a “complete re-wiring of the British state” and expressed that Sir Chris was “no-one better placed” to achieve this objective. Having been a part of the civil service since the early 1990s, Sir Chris possesses extensive experience within the institution. This background leads to differing views: some see him as an ideal candidate capable of addressing systemic issues, while others perceive him as an establishment figure committed to maintaining the existing order. Lord Jim Bethell, a former health minister who collaborated with Sir Chris during the Covid pandemic, welcomed his appointment with enthusiasm, stating on social media: “When the killer zombies invade, I’d like Chris Wormald at my back.” Former health secretary Sajid Javid characterized Sir Chris as “brilliant and dedicated,” and another former health secretary, Matt Hancock, referred to him as a “natural reformer” who understood “where the bear-traps are.” In contrast, Dominic Cummings, who served as a senior No 10 adviser during the pandemic, offered a less favorable assessment. He commented: “Today should be a wake-up call to all investors in UK and young talent.” He added that “The Westminster system is totally determined to resist any change and will continue all the things of the past 20 years that have driven us into crisis.” Sir Chris assumed the role of the most senior civil servant in the Department of Health in May 2016. Over the subsequent eight years, he collaborated with at least seven distinct secretaries of state, ranging from Conservative Jeremy Hunt to Labour’s Wes Streeting. During his tenure in that position, he supervised significant policies and decisions enacted following the emergence of Covid. Importantly, he also held this role in the years preceding the virus’s spread, a period designated for pandemic preparedness planning. Sir Chris has already testified three times before the public inquiry investigating the government’s management of the crisis. After one of these sessions, a lawyer representing the Covid Bereaved Families for Justice group criticized his testimony, describing it as “an object lesson in obfuscation, a word salad, so many, many words, so very little substance.” The Covid inquiry released text messages in November 2023 that Sir Chris had exchanged with his superior at the time, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill. These communications date back to 12 March 2020, less than two weeks prior to the nation implementing its initial national lockdown. Within these messages, Lord Sedwill communicated: “Presumably like chickenpox we want people to get it and develop herd immunity before the next wave. We just want them not to get it all at once and preferably when it’s warm and dry.” Sir Chris responded: “Exactly right. We make the point every meeting, they don’t quite get it.” During that period, the government found itself compelled to refute claims of a strategy to achieve so-called herd immunity by allowing younger, healthier individuals to contract the virus. When questioned about this previously, Sir Chris acknowledged that his language had been “very, very loose” but asserted that he was, in fact, adhering to scientific guidance. On Monday, following Sir Chris’s appointment, Cummings posted on X, expressing strong criticism of Sir Chris’s actions during that period. He wrote: “Many officials came to me in panic when they realised the cabinet secretary and permanent secretary of the health department in charge of pandemic planning truly believed that the faster everyone got Covid, the better.” Cummings concluded: “He is now in charge of the entire system. Plan accordingly!” Cummings additionally alleged that Sir Chris was “embedded deeply” in the infected blood scandal and had repeatedly conveyed “untruths about the documents” to ministers. In 2018, Sir Chris issued letters of apology after it became apparent that two former health ministers had been erroneously informed that all documents pertaining to infected blood were stored in the National Archives, a claim later disproven by campaigners. Subsequently, in 2021, Sir Chris recused himself from all decisions concerning the scandal. It was later revealed that his father, Peter, who served as a Department of Health official between 1978 and 1981, had participated in meetings and decisions concerning Britain’s Blood Products Laboratory and had submitted written evidence to the infected blood inquiry. Born in London in 1968, Sir Chris attended Rutlish School in Merton, the same institution that former Prime Minister Sir John Major had attended more than two decades prior. He pursued his studies at St John’s College, Oxford, and upon graduation, he promptly entered the civil service as a fast stream trainee in the Department for Education. Over the subsequent two decades, he advanced through various positions across Whitehall, including roles at the Department for Communities and Local Government and within the office of the then-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Currently at the apex of his professional life, Sir Chris was widely recognized as being on the final shortlist for the prime minister’s new cabinet secretary, alongside Antonia Romeo, who heads the Ministry of Justice, and Tamara Finkelstein, the senior civil servant at the environment department. Despite this, his appointment generated some surprise in Westminster, where there was a prevailing sentiment that Sir Chris’s opportunity for such a role had passed. Although some civil servants privately concur with Cummings’ evaluation of their new leader, personnel within the health department might appreciate that the highest position has been awarded to an individual with an understanding of the NHS. Reducing NHS waiting lists is a key priority for the prime minister, a factor he may have considered in selecting Sir Chris. A further element influencing the choice could be Sir Chris’s comparatively modest media presence. Having been affected by the short term of his high-profile chief of staff, Sue Gray, the prime minister likely anticipates that Sir Chris will largely remain out of the broader public spotlight.