Britain's most senior civil servant stands down

[webfact]

Britain's most senior civil servant stands down

 

FILE PHOTO: NATO's civilian representative to Afghanistan Mark Sedwill talks to the media in Kabul February 9, 2010./File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's most senior civil servant, Mark Sedwill, told Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday he would stand down as cabinet secretary and national security adviser.

 

In an exchange of letters with Johnson, Sedwill said: "Two years ago, when my predecessor fell ill, your predecessor asked me to step in as Cabinet Secretary, and you asked me to continue to support you through Brexit and the election period.

 

"It was obviously right to stay on for the acute phase of the Covid-19 crisis. As you are setting out this week, the government's focus is now shifting to domestic and global recovery and renewal." 

 

Johnson thanked Sedwill for his "outstanding service". The prime minister said he had asked Sedwill to lead a new G7 panel on Global Economic Security as the UK assumes the G7 presidency, and said he had nominated Sedwill for a life peerage.

 

David Frost, Britain's chief negotiator with the European Union, will replace Sedwill as national security adviser, Downing Street said.

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-29

 

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[ThaidDown]

Cummins v Civil service ...fifteen   love.

 

 

[twocatsmac]

Civil serpents don’t appreciate scrutiny, more clearing of the swamp please.

Carry on Dom.

[billd766]

Of course the real most senior servant can be found here.

 

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yes,_Minister

 

Hacker: Who else is in this department?
Sir Humphrey: Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary. Woolley here is your Principal Private Secretary. I too have a Principal Private Secretary and he is the Principal Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary. Directly responsible to me are ten Deputy Secretaries, 87 Under Secretaries and 219 Assistant Secretaries. Directly responsible to the Principal Private Secretaries are plain Private Secretaries, and the Prime Minister will be appointing two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries and you will be appointing your own Parliamentary Private Secretary.
Hacker: Can they all type?
Sir Humphrey: None of us can type. Mrs Mackay types: she's the secretary.
Minister: Pity, we could have opened an agency.
Sir Humphrey: Very droll, Minister.
Hacker: I suppose they all say that, do they?
Sir Humphrey: Certainly not, Minister. Not quite all...
Bernard: But surely the citizens of a democracy have a right to know.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: No. They have a right to be ignorant. Knowledge only means complicity in guilt; ignorance has a certain dignity.

 

There is more where that came from.

 

es.
Episode Five: The Writing on the Wall
Hacker: I don't want the truth. I want something I can tell Parliament!

Edited June 29, 2020 by billd766
added extra text

[heybruce]

35 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Of course the real most senior servant can be found here.

 

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yes,_Minister

 

Hacker: Who else is in this department?
Sir Humphrey: Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary. Woolley here is your Principal Private Secretary. I too have a Principal Private Secretary and he is the Principal Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary. Directly responsible to me are ten Deputy Secretaries, 87 Under Secretaries and 219 Assistant Secretaries. Directly responsible to the Principal Private Secretaries are plain Private Secretaries, and the Prime Minister will be appointing two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries and you will be appointing your own Parliamentary Private Secretary.
Hacker: Can they all type?
Sir Humphrey: None of us can type. Mrs Mackay types: she's the secretary.
Minister: Pity, we could have opened an agency.
Sir Humphrey: Very droll, Minister.
Hacker: I suppose they all say that, do they?
Sir Humphrey: Certainly not, Minister. Not quite all...
Bernard: But surely the citizens of a democracy have a right to know.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: No. They have a right to be ignorant. Knowledge only means complicity in guilt; ignorance has a certain dignity.

 

There is more where that came from.

 

es.
Episode Five: The Writing on the Wall
Hacker: I don't want the truth. I want something I can tell Parliament!

Off-topic, but I loved the "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister" series.  Many timeless truths about government and bureaucracy were revealed in those shows, in a brilliantly entertaining manner.

[flossie35]

4 hours ago, twocatsmac said:

Civil serpents don’t appreciate scrutiny, more clearing of the swamp please.

Carry on Dom.

The job of top civil servants is to advise ministers. The advice is confidential. The politicians are in the public eye; civil servants are not supposed to be. Which is one of the reasons Cummings is part of the swamp. Along with most of the present incompetent and irresponsible government.

[Rookiescot]

I wonder who Cummings will go for next?

Maybe the lady who serves tea in the canteen. She is probably to left wing for him.

[evadgib]

7 minutes ago, flossie35 said:

The job of top civil servants is to advise ministers. The advice is confidential. The politicians are in the public eye; civil servants are not supposed to be. Which is one of the reasons Cummings is part of the swamp. Along with most of the present incompetent and irresponsible government.

Setting up a coup while Boris was hospitalized and arranging an MSM orchestrated pile on to neuter Cummings when he twigged was this blokes downfall.

 

Good riddance & well done BJ ????

[CorpusChristie]

2 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

I wonder who Cummings will go for next?

Maybe the lady who serves tea in the canteen. She is probably to left wing for him.

Is it a fact that Cummings played a part in this, or are you just having a mindless moan ?

[mrfill]

2 hours ago, heybruce said:

Off-topic, but I loved the "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister" series.  Many timeless truths about government and bureaucracy were revealed in those shows, in a brilliantly entertaining manner.

Go watch The Thick of It - same idea but based in the 21st century. Its like a documentary...

[jesimps]

2 hours ago, flossie35 said:

The job of top civil servants is to advise ministers. The advice is confidential. The politicians are in the public eye; civil servants are not supposed to be. Which is one of the reasons Cummings is part of the swamp. Along with most of the present incompetent and irresponsible government.

Yes bring on Starmer and his anti Brexit, Jew-hating party of commies.

[Jonnapat]

Little doubt that he has had enough of the idiot politicians he has had to serve, particularly since the last election.

[stevenl]

3 hours ago, CorpusChristie said:

Is it a fact that Cummings played a part in this, or are you just having a mindless moan ?

If you feel that way you should have reacted to earlier posts mentioning Cummins. But I guess you like those posters better? Look at #3 eg.

[Knocker33]

5 hours ago, heybruce said:

Off-topic, but I loved the "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister" series.  Many timeless truths about government and bureaucracy were revealed in those shows, in a brilliantly entertaining manner.

It's being repeated on BBC player at the moment. Listened to it yesterday. Never dated. Still true of today's politics