Chris Wormald, the most senior official in the Department of Health, is the frontrunner to become the new head of the UK’s civil service as prime minister Boris Johnson and his advisers press ahead with a sweeping overhaul of the government’s Whitehall machine.
Described by one former colleague as “one of the few” senior civil servants to vote for Brexit in 2016, several officials said Sir Chris had emerged as the leading candidate to take over from Mark Sedwill, who is due to step down in September.
The final shortlist includes Antonia Romeo, permanent secretary at the Department for International Trade, the officials said. And Charles Roxburgh, second permanent secretary at the Treasury, has also been interviewed for the hugely influential role at the heart of British government.
Mr Johnson will conclude the final interviews in the coming days.
Sir Mark was effectively forced out as cabinet secretary by Mr Johnson as part of the prime minister’s plans to reform the civil service in June.
One senior Whitehall figure said there is a “widespread view” that Sir Chris is the favourite to take his place, notably because of his experience working with the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, and Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s chief adviser, while they were all at the Department for Education.
“Many recent key appointments at the centre of Whitehall have been Gove appointments”, said one official. Sir Chris “knows the system well” and “won’t challenge it”, the official added. “He is very bright, experienced and will just do the business.”
Another Whitehall official said that Sir Chris had worked with Mr Gove “without falling out” and added that the long-term civil servant “doesn’t like the limelight”, noting that this would endear him to the Downing Street team.
Another mandarin pointed out that the Department for Health had a potential replacement for Sir Chris already in the shape of David Williams, who was appointed “second permanent secretary for the duration of the coronavirus situation” in March.
One senior Tory said Sir Chris’s domestic experience would be an asset. “Unlike Sedwill, Chris has a wealth of experience in domestic policymaking in both health and education,” the individual said.
Another well-placed insider described Sir Chris as “the professional choice” for cabinet secretary. “He is the choice of fellow permanent secretaries and the establishment’s choice. He is a civil servant’s civil servant.” One former colleague said he would be “brilliant” while another described him as “formidable”.
As he rose through the civil service, Sir Chris was also seen as having the seal of approval of Jeremy Heywood, the admired former cabinet secretary, who died in 2018.
The Cabinet Office and Downing Street declined to comment.
Some insiders questioned whether his leadership at the Department for Health and Social Care during the coronavirus pandemic could scupper his chances. “Do they really want the guy who was in charge of coronavirus at the heart of government?” said one official.
Several notable potential candidates have not applied to be the next cabinet secretary, including Sharon White, chairman of retailer John Lewis, and Tom Scholar, permanent secretary at the Treasury.
Minouche Shafik, director of the London School of Economics, was also thought to be interested but was appointed as a crossbench peer to the House of Lords last week.
Sarah Healey, permanent secretary at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is also “highly rated” by Mr Gove, according to officials, but some in government believe she may require more Whitehall experience before leading the civil service.