Pandemic crisis mandarin steps down

THE civil servant drafted in to run Britain’s pandemic response has quit, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Respected mandarin Tom Shinner is the latest high-profile figure to announce his departure in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

Once dubbed the ‘Mr Big of Brexit’, Mr Shinner had returned to the Government in April, having left for the private sector after leading cross-government preparations for a potential No Deal exit.

At the time, Whitehall trade magazine Civil Service World said his appointment was at the ‘personal request of Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill’.

Boris Johnson eased out Sir Mark from his role as Civil Service boss last month, amid growing acrimony between Downing Street and the Whitehall machine.

Last night, No10 insiders insisted that Mr Shinner’s job was only a temporary secondment and the response to the pandemic was beginning to ‘wind down’.

One friend said he was contractually obliged to return to his job at a start-up firm.

But a Whitehall source said: ‘There is an uneasy feeling in the building that those directly involved in the past few months are making themselves scarce before the inevitable post-mortem.’

The Prime Minister has conceded that the coronavirus crisis, and Britain’s high death toll, will be subject to a full inquiry in the coming months.

Mr Johnson is understood to have become increasingly frustrated with Sir Mark’s handling of the unfolding horror and Britain’s lack of preparation.

One ally told The Times yesterday: ‘One of the main things was that when Covid started to emerge as a major threat in February, a plan was asked for and there was no plan.

‘That’s despite it being top of the risk register since 2008. Where was the plan? Why was the person in charge of the risk register – who is not just the Cabinet Secretary but also the National Security Adviser – not on top of it? That’s his job.’

Sir Mark has pointedly refused to say his departure was voluntary and it later emerged that he had received a £250,000 payoff.

Legal experts said the size of the contribution to Sir Mark’s pension pointed to a potential threat of legal action behind the scenes.