No 10 denies ‘stitch-up’ claim after poaching Duke’s right-hand man for top job

DOWNING Street has denied accusations that the appointment of Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary was a “stitch-up”.

Mr Case, currently the permanent secretary in 10 Downing Street, was made the UK’S top civil servant yesterday after Boris Johnson gave him the job of Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service.

Mr Case spent almost two years working as the Duke of Cambridge’s right-hand man before temporarily moving to Number 10 earlier this year to assist with the coronavirus response.

His promotion comes after the outgoing Sir Mark Sedwill announced his departure in June amid reports of clashes with Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s de facto chief of staff.

The 41-year-old becomes the youngest Cabinet Secretary in several decades, only second to Lord Hankey, who served David Lloyd George’s war cabinet during the First World War and held the position into the late 1930s.

Number 10 was forced to deny that it had been Mr Johnson’s intention since May when Mr Case was given the secondment to Downing Street to crowbar him into the more senior job of overseeing the day-to-day running of government.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman, asked whether the timetable behind the appointment had been a “stitch-up”, said: “No, you can see the PM’S words this morning – he thinks he will make a fantastic Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service.

“He has years of experience at the heart of government working for a number of prime ministers and working for the royal household and the PM believes that will make him ideally suited for this crucial role.”

Apart from his role with the Duke of Cambridge, Mr Case’s career has included helping deliver the 2012 London Olympics, a tenure as private secretary to former PM David Cameron, and working on the Irish border issue created by Brexit. The Times reported that the Cambridge graduate did not initially seek the top job but was asked to make a formal application by Downing Street.

The Prime Minister is understood, according to a Times Radio report which Number 10 did not deny, to have phoned William personally last week to “ask if he could pinch his man to be the new Cabinet Secretary”, with Mr Case initially set to return to his duties at Kensington Palace. The duke is said to have agreed given the tough circumstances faced by the country after the Covid-19 pandemic, with the station reporting that Mr Johnson and William have a good relationship dating back to the failed bid 10 years ago for England to host the 2018 World Cup.

Sir Mark will oversee one final Cabinet meeting next week before formally stepping down on September 9, with Mr Case to take over on the same day.

Mr Case’s appointment marks the continued shake-up of Whitehall under Mr Johnson and his close aide Mr Cummings, with five departures of senior civil servants this year alone.