UK Cabinet Secretary Departs

According to a notice published on the UK government website on the 12th, UK Cabinet Secretary and senior civil servant Chris Wormald has resigned effective immediately.

The notice states that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Wormald have reached an agreement regarding his departure. During the transition period, Wormald’s responsibilities will be shared by the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, and the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury. Sunak will soon appoint a new Cabinet Secretary.

Wormald was appointed as Cabinet Secretary in 2024. This position is the highest-ranking official in the UK civil service, responsible for overseeing the entire civil service.

The notice did not specify the reason for Wormald’s departure. However, a report by the BBC mentioned that Wormald was responsible for overseeing the government’s provision of documents related to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. Mandelson was previously removed from his post as ambassador after being involved in the Epstein case, having served only seven months.

Recently, Prime Minister Sunak has faced public pressure demanding his resignation over the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US. On the 8th and 9th, Morgan McSweeney, Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, and Tim Allen, Director of Communications at Downing Street, resigned consecutively.

On the 9th, several senior UK cabinet officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Dami Ramírez, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, publicly expressed support for Sunak on social media. That evening, Sunak stated during a meeting with Labour MPs that he would reorganize the operations of the Prime Minister’s Office and continue to serve as Prime Minister.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)