In a recent announcement, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer declared it was time for a “complete re-wiring of the British state”. Yet in the same breath, he unveiled Chris Wormald, a career civil servant described by some as the epitome of a safe, low-key bureaucrat, as his choice for the powerful cabinet secretary role. This seems an odd pairing – a radical overhaul of government, spearheaded by a man known more for quiet competence than bold vision. So what is Starmer’s gambit here?
The Bet on a Quiet Radical
Sources close to Starmer suggest the plan is for Wormald to be a kind of stealth reformer – loyally and consensually unpicking the knots of Whitehall dysfunction, rather than hacking away at them in a messy, Dominic Cummings-esque fashion. In Wormald, they see a seasoned operator who knows the system inside-out, and can persuade it to change from within.
As one former ministerial colleague put it, Wormald is “a shrewd choice” and someone you’d want “at your back when the killer zombies invade” – i.e. a steady hand for a crisis. He’s spent over three decades rising through the ranks of various departments, most recently as permanent secretary at Health, without making many political waves.
Insider Praise, Outsider Doubts
Those who’ve worked closely with Wormald sing his praises. One called him simply “a top-class civil servant and all-round good bloke.” Another, who served with him at Education, said he has the “safe pair of hands” but can also “do big reform” – a balance Starmer is banking on.
But not everyone buys the “quiet radical” framing. One ex-official called Wormald “devoid of charisma” and “fundamentally an observer,” rarely offering “thoughts of any substance.” In their view, Wormald exemplifies the “failing upwards culture” driving talented people out of the civil service.
Questions from the Covid Inquiry
Adding to doubts are unflattering cameos from Wormald at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. As the top official at Health during the pandemic, he’s faced charges of overseeing a complacent department that underestimated the threat despite claiming to be a world leader in preparedness.
Wormald’s testimony to the inquiry last year was “an object lesson in obfuscation, a word salad,” said a lawyer for Covid-bereaved families – “so many, many words, so very little substance.”
Still the Safest Choice?
For all the knocks against him, insiders suggest Wormald still stood out among the other contenders for the job:
- Olly Robbins, the former Brexit negotiator, was seen as too tied to the now-ousted Sue Gray, Starmer’s former chief of staff.
- Antonia Romeo, lead official at Justice, was viewed as too high-profile and political for the theoretically neutral role.
- Tamara Finkelstein at Environment simply had less experience than Wormald’s decades in senior posts.
So while Wormald may not set many hearts aflutter with his “safe pair of hands” reputation, Starmer seems to be gambling that in the midst of government disarray and economic turmoil, boring competence may be just the tonic. Whether he proves truly radical enough to rewire a sclerotic Whitehall remains to be seen. But at the very least, Starmer has chosen a steady captain to steer the ship of state through perilous waters ahead.
