John Manzoni to step down as chief of the civil service
The chief executive of the civil service, Sir John Manzoni, is stepping down from his role ahead of looming Whitehall reforms.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “As has been planned for some time, Sir John Manzoni will step down from his post at some point this year.”
Sky News first reported that Manzoni told senior colleagues of his intention to leave later this year.
His plans to leave come amidst looming plans of radical Whitehall reform by the Prime Minister and his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings.
Sky News sources said the departure had yet to be finalised and that it was possible that he could step in his role for some time. His successor could have the title chief operating officer, rather than chief executive.
Manzoni was knighted in this year’s honours list. His departure is said to be unrelated to the gaffe in December which saw the addresses of over a thousand honours recipients posted online.
Before joining the Cabinet Office in early 2014, Manzoni was a former executive at BP and also served as president and chief executive of Canadian company Talisman Energy.
He took over as chief executive of the civil service in October 2014. Last year Manzoni said the civil service had never previously faced a challenge like Brexit and oversaw preparations for no deal.
The Cabinet Office said Manzoni’s tenure was due to end in October 2019 but was “extended to provide continuity over the subsequent period.”
Cummings has made his plans to shake up Whitehall clear. In a blog posted last month, he wrote that he wanted “assorted weirdos” to take on roles within government.
Additionally the Department for Exiting the EU (Dexeu) is set to be abolished in a post-Brexit cabinet reshuffle.
Earlier this month, the former head of the civil service Lord Kerslake said that Cummings should appear before select committees to set out details of his plans for a government overhaul.
Among those tipped to replace Manzoni are Alex Chisholm, permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and his counterpart at Dexeu, Claire Moriarty.