The Latest Breaking News from Simon Case

Many prime ministers at some point find themselves in a situation where nothing they do seems to go right. It happened to Jim Callaghan in the late 1970s, to Gordon Brown in the 2000s and to every Conservative prime minister since 2019.

Sue Gray out, Morgan McSweeney in, Simon Case to leave … the churn highlights how vital the right staff are to any PM’s success, says author Anthony Sneldon

News analysis: Just days after Boris Johnson likened Dominic Cummings to a ‘homicidal robot’ in his new book, Keir Starmer seems to embrace the idea of putting a ruthless, analytics-obsessed genius in charge of his Downing Street operation, writes The Independent’s politics editor David Maddox

Simon Case announced he will stand down as the UK’s top civil servant on health grounds at the end of 2024

The head of the civil service resigned after he was named on a list of 80 senior male figures in politics, the law and arts who were members while women were excluded

Case left in March after the Guardian published names of senior public figures who were in the then men-only club

Cabinet secretary says he will go at end of year, after turbulent few weeks in Downing Street

Cabinet secretary says his departure is due to health reasons but it follows revelations by The Independent that ministers wanted him to be sacked

The revelations came as the Tories at their annual rally in Birmingham are in the process of choosing a leader to succeed Rishi Sunak

Senior party figures want the former Leicester MP to be given key post after party squanders electoral honeymoon over rivalry and free gifts row

Joy and relief among Labour MPs was obvious, but tensions around donations, fuel poverty and Sue Gray’s salary lingered