As we learn of Mark Sedwill’s departure, I talk to Katy Balls and James Forsyth about its wider implications. While the announcement itself has not come as a total surprise (Sedwill was always more of a Mayite appointment than this government’s preference), James points out that it follows on the heels of a speech given by Michael Gove this weekend on civil service reform, in which Gove outlined the vision of a new, sleeker Whitehall. It’s a wish list that includes more technocratic civil servants who are expert in their field, rather than rotated as generalists. Katy points out that Sedwill has often been seen as ‘not on the same wavelength’ as the government on Whitehall reform. His departure is a nod towards the changes that are to come.
Katy also highlights that Mark Sedwill’s holding of two roles – cabinet secretary and National Security Adviser – is unusual, and a legacy of how he stepped in following the sudden death of Jeremy Heywood, his predecessor in the Cabinet Office.
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