Cabinet Secretary’s exit brings turmoil to Downing Street

Oliver Dean | 13th February 2026 | Comment, Politics

Wormald was appointed to the post of Cabinet Secretary in December 2024 (Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

With Wormald being the third senior figure to exit government in recent days, questions are being raised over the long-term stability and survivability of this government

Sir Chris Wormald has been ousted as Cabinet Secretary. While Downing Street insists the departure was "by mutual agreement," the picture this situation paints is dire. For those watching from the public affairs world this is a sign that the machinery of government is malfunctioning at the highest level. Wormald is the third senior figure to exit in days, following Morgan McSweeney and Tim Allan. His departure leaves a vacuum at the heart of the Civil Service, with responsibilities temporarily split between three permanent secretaries: Catherine Little (Cabinet Office), Dame Antonia Romeo (Home Office), and James Bowler (Treasury). This fragmentation matters. In public affairs terms, it means there's no single point of contact for cross-government strategy, no clear line of authority for major decisions, and no one with the institutional memory or mandate to drive through the supposed ‘re-wiring of the British state’ that Starmer promised. The official line is that Wormald left o...

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