O'Donnell's exit prompts major Whitehall reshuffle

摘要

Sir Gus O'Donnell's decision to retire after a 32-year career spanning the heights of the civil service will initiate a major restructuring of Whitehall's upper echelons. Sir Gus, who is due to leave his post at the end of the year, had expanded his role to become Cabinet secretary, permanent secretary to the Cabinet Office and head of the home civil service. This tripartite arrangement will be dismantled from next year when Jeremy Heywood, currently Number 10 permanent secretary, becomes Cabinet secretary - effectively merging the two jobs. An internal competition among current departmental permanent secretaries, overseen by Sir David Normington, will decide the appointment of the next head of the civil service. The successful candidate will provide leadership to the civil service alongside their existing duties, separating the role from that of Cabinet secretary for the first time since the early 1980s.