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Sir Keir Starmer is being urged by several cabinet ministers to sack the top civil servant in Whitehall immediately and stamp his authority on the new Labour government.
Knives are out for cabinet secretary Simon Case, who has been accused of undermining the prime minister and being responsible for briefings against his chief of staff Sue Gray.
One exasperated cabinet minister said: “He [Case] has got to go now.”
Mr Case has denied any inappropriate behaviour and has been put in charge of investigating how damaging leaks at No 10 occurred, including the news that Ms Gray’s salary eclipses the PM’s. Earlier this week the prime minister’s spokesman also said he was satisfied Mr Case was not behind the leaks.
Senior ministers have spoken of their frustration at the seemingly non-stop briefings against the fledgling Labour government which are threatening to destabilise it.
One minister accused Mr Case of “poisoning the well of government” and said his planned departure from government must “be done now with immediate effect to show Keir’s authority and to stop the damage and distraction”.
Another minister told The Independent they have personally raised their concerns with the prime minister and said Mr Case “really should go now”.
Others consider Mr Case’s relationship with Ms Gray to be too corrosive and have accused him of briefing against Ms Gray.
“Case is scheduled to leave at the end of the year having been forced earlier to take six weeks leave, but another 12 weeks of infighting is not viable,” said one insider.
“How Case survived the Partygate scandal, has failed to unite No 10 with stability or direction and leaves every PM seemingly weaker in their mission and leadership is simply going to hurt this prime minister too. ”
“The prime minister’s choice is simple – think of different versions of SOS to shore up Labour: Stop Overt Self-harm; Save Our Sue or Shuffle Out Simon. Or even Stop Open Sabotage,” said another Westminster insider.
Another minister disparagingly compared Mr Case to one of his predecessors Sir Gus O’Donnell: “When you were in the room with Gus you felt you were in the presence of somebody deeply substantial and knowledgable. When you are in the room with Simon Case you just feel he is present.”
It has been reported that Ms Gray previously quit her former role as one of the most senior civil servants during the Tory government to join Sir Keir’s team because Mr Case vetoed her proposed appointment to be Kemi Badenoch’s permanent secretary in the Department of Business and Trade.
Now the bitter feud appears to be endangering the new government with senior ministers rallying in support of Ms Gray.
Cabinet ministers in favour described Ms Gray as “absolutely brilliant” and “the engine of so much that is good”. They are “horrified” that she “has been subjected to these poisonous briefings against her”. One cabinet minister directly blamed Mr Case.
Senior ministers have described how Ms Gray is the only person who can get things done, with one describing her as “a calming influence” and someone “who knows the civil service and which buttons to press inside out”.
With the government gaining more attention for free frocks and football tickets and damaging leaks about Ms Gray’s pay, what she wears and her power of patronage, ministers have confided that they have told the prime minister “he needs to stamp his authority”.
However, other ministers noted that “Case is going anyway so what is the point of doing it before a successor is decided”.
Sources close to the prime minister said he initially felt it was better for Mr Case to stay on for a few months because there was so much change for Labour after almost 15 years out of power.
But a minister noted that there was already an issue with civil servants “not being up to speed from the get-go with the new government’s agenda”.
Others believe that there is a lack of confidence among some Labour ministers because of being out of power for so long. This has led, in part, to inappropriate decisions over free gifts.
The message from a key Starmer ally intent on fundamental change by the new government has gone out that “we need to remember that we have earned the right to power and to make the decisions we want to make on personnel and policy”.
But as Labour’s conference in Liverpool continues, there is a consensus that there is a danger that the massive changes being brought in on workers’ rights, renters’ reform, and nationalising rail are being swamped by bitter infighting and scandal.
“It’s extremely frustrating and we need to get our message right again,” one minister admitted.
