Sedwill wasn’t driven out, insists Boris

BORIS Johnson rejected claims that his chief civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill was driven out of his job in a Downing Street power struggle.

The Prime Minister said the Cabinet Secretary, who announced his decision to quit in September at the weekend, still had “a lot more to offer” in public service. He said: “Mark’s an outstanding servant and will continue to be.”

Mr Johnson faced a barrage of criticism from former mandarins and opposition politicians after the announcement of the shake up at the top of the Civil Service.

Some critics claim his chief adviser Dominic Cummings is seeking to force out mandarins opposed to his push for radical shake up of Whitehall.

The Prime Minister also came under fire for handing Sir Mark’s role as National Security Adviser to his chief EU negotiator David Frost.

Praising Sir Mark, Mr Johnson said: “He’s seen the Government through all sorts of very tough stuff. The change in premiership, an election, Brexit, then dealing with the really worst bits of the Covid crisis. He’s got a lot more to offer, and I’m sure he will.”

Sir Mark, who is expected to receive a peerage, is taking on a diplomatic role when the Government takes over the presidency of the G7 international grouping later this year.