Starmer urged to appoint ‘mould-breaking’ outsider as civil service head

Allies say Simon Case’s replacement must drive through change, amid internal battles over appointment

Keir Starmer is being privately urged to appoint a new cabinet secretary from outside the civil service who can “break the mould” of the traditional role, as internal battles continue over Simon Case’s replacement.

The outgoing chair of the John Lewis Partnership, Sharon White, who is also a former chief executive of Ofcom, is thought to be among the favourites to head the civil service, along with Minouche Shafik, a former president of Columbia University in New York. However, there are others in No 10 who are wary of the outsiders who have been tipped.