Today [Thursday 12th February 2026] Leader of the
Conservative Party MP has raised her
serious concerns over the imminent dismissal of the
Cabinet Secretary.
When questioned by Kemi at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday,
Sir refused to deny that he was
looking to fire Sir as Cabinet Secretary
– only 14 months after he appointed him.
Such a dismissal and replacement would come right as Starmer's
Government is mired in scandal, facing serious
questions over his judgement in appointing Peter and to high offices despite
their known associations with paedophiles.
In a letter to of Edgbaston, First Civil
Service Commissioner, states that “it is hard to
escape the conclusion that the Cabinet Secretary is simply the
latest person to be thrown under a bus by this Prime Minister”
Badenoch also warns that changing Cabinet Secretary, the
individual supposed to be overseeing the release of the Files following our Humble
Address, could impugn due impartiality.
Badenoch requests that :
- Formally advise the Prime
Minister to conduct a full new process for this appointment,
given the circumstances around the likely departure of
Sir Chris and given the concerns raised by the former Foreign
Office mandarin, .
- Advise the Prime Minister
to delay any decision to dismiss Sir Chris until both the
disclosure of documents under the Humble Address, and the Cabinet
Secretary led review into Lord , is complete.
- Conduct a review under its
statutory powers if the Prime Minister
nonetheless proceeds with forcing out Sir Chris and
appointing a successor.
The full text of Kemi Badenoch's letter is
below:
“Dear First Civil Service Commissioner,
It has been widely reported that the Cabinet Secretary, Sir
, is due to step down
imminently after less than 14 months in post. Multiple newspaper
reports suggest that he is being forced out by the Prime
Minister. This follows a series of anonymous briefings against
the Cabinet Secretary by Government sources for several months.
It was, of course, this Prime Minister who appointed Sir Chris
from a short list of candidates, following a full and open
external competition.
The Prime Minister, as the Minister for the Civil Service,
ultimately must have powers to appoint senior officials as he
sees fit, in line with the merit principle, and where necessary
to remove them. But it is hard to escape the conclusion that the
Cabinet Secretary is simply the latest person to be thrown under
a bus by this Prime Minister.
It is all the more concerning to be changing Cabinet Secretary in
the midst of the ongoing scandal over the appointment of Lord
and his conduct in office. Just
last week, the Prime Minister told Parliament that the process
for determining disclosures under the Humble Address of 4
February would be “led by the Cabinet Secretary.” He specifically
insisted it would not be a “political process” and argued that
the Cabinet Secretary would ensure there was no “cover up”.
In addition, on 2 February, the Chief Secretary to the Prime
Minister announced that “the Prime Minister has…asked the Cabinet
Secretary to review all available information regarding Peter
Mandelson's contact with Jeffrey Epstein during his period as a
Government Minister, and to report back to him as a matter of
urgency.”
Changing the Cabinet Secretary in the middle of this scandal – or
more precisely forcing out the incumbent without any clear
process – would be an extraordinary thing to do. Any individual
appointed in the circumstances, without a full process to point
to and in midst of managing a scandal, could find it difficult to
demonstrate impartiality. The Civil Service Commission has a
particular obligation to uphold the merit principle for the Civil
Service and to help safeguard an impartial Civil Service.
As HM Leader of the Opposition I believe that the Civil Service
Commission should:
- formally advise the Prime Minister to conduct a full new
process for this appointment, given the circumstances around the
likely departure of Sir Chris and given the concerns raised by
the former Foreign Office mandarin, .
- Advise the Prime Minister to delay any decision to dismiss
Sir Chris until both the disclosure of documents under the Humble
Address, and the Cabinet Secretary led review into Lord , are complete.
- Conduct a review under its statutory powers if the Prime
Minister nonetheless proceeds with forcing out Sir Chris and
appointing a successor.
I am copying this letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons,
the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs
Committee, and the Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Kemi Badenoch”
