Tories urge inquiry into ‘personal attacks’ on top civil servant ‘from No 10’

The Tories have called for an inquiry into a potential breach of the special adviser code after “personal attacks” in the press about the country’s top civil servant Sir Chris Wormald.

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley insisted that the Government has “full confidence” in the Cabinet Secretary, that they condemn “all leaks and breaches” and they will look into how any leaks take place.

It comes after The Times reported that sources believe Sir Chris, who was appointed in December 2024, was unlikely to survive beyond January.

A No 10 insider told the newspaper: “Chris is a parody of every civil service stereotype.

“He is given clear instructions on an issue and says we will be able to deliver it only after we’ve commissioned a wide-reaching review that reports some time in the mid-2080s.”

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood urged the Government to condemn the “vicious media briefings that have clearly come from Number 10”.

He said: “The minister (Ms Turley) is correct when she says that the civil service must be able to recruit the brightest and the best, but surely she can see that this isn’t helped when the most senior civil servant, hand-picked by the Prime Minister barely months ago, faces a barrage of media briefings from within government.

“So will the minister and the department commission an inquiry into the breach of the special adviser code, following the personal attacks on the Cabinet Secretary, and will she condemn the vicious media briefings that have clearly come from within Number 10?”

Responding, party chairwoman and Cabinet Office minister Ms Turley said: “We have full confidence in the Cabinet Secretary.

“We condemn all leaks and breaches and of course we’ll be looking into how any leaks from Number 10 take place.”

On Wednesday, a Number 10 spokesman told reporters at Westminster: “The Cabinet Secretary continues to have the support of the Prime Minister, and they’re working closely together to deliver on the priorities of the British public, which includes restructuring government to focus on delivery for the British people, delivering outcomes like five million extra NHS appointments, upskilling, and modernising the civil service and driving efficiencies across governments to focus spending on public services.”