{{Short description|British civil servant (born 1968)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Sir Chris Wormald | office = {{plainlist| *Cabinet Secretary *Head of the Civil Service}} | prime_minister = Keir Starmer | term_start = 16 December 2024 | term_end = 12 February 2026 | predecessor = Simon Case | successor = Dame Antonia Romeo | 1blankname1 = Minister | 1namedata1 = Jeremy Hunt<br>Matt Hancock<br>Sajid Javid<br>Thérèse Coffey<br>Steve Barclay<br>Victoria Atkins<br>Wes Streeting | office1 = Permanent Secretary of the <br />Department of Health and Social Care | predecessor1 = Dame Una O'Brien | successor1 = Samantha Jones | term_start1 = 1 May 2016 | term_end1 = 16 December 2024 | 1blankname2 = Minister | 1namedata2 = Michael Gove<br>Nicky Morgan | office2 = Permanent Secretary of the <br />Department for Education | predecessor2 = Sir David Bell | successor2 = Jonathan Slater | prime_minister2 = David Cameron | term_start2 = 26 March 2012 | term_end2 = 30 April 2016 | birth_name = Christopher Stephen Wormald | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|10|30|df=y}} | education = St John's College, Oxford <br> Imperial College London | image = Sir Chris Wormald KCB.png | honorific_prefix = | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KCB|size=100}} }} [[File:Knight Commander of the Bath star, awarded to Cecil Fane de Salis (1859-1948) in 1935.jpg|thumb|upright=0.5|{{center|KCB breast star}}]] '''Sir Christopher Stephen Wormald''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=90%|KCB}} (born 30 October 1968) is a British civil servant who served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service from 2024 to 2026.
== Early life == The son of Peter Wormald {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=90%|CB}} and Elizabeth ''née'' North, he was educated at Rutlish School in Merton before going to St John's College, Oxford, graduating BA (1990). He then pursued postgraduate studies at Imperial College, London, taking an MBA degree (1999).
His father was a Deputy Secretary at the Department for Health and Social Security from 1978,<ref>[https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sir-chris-wormald-is-the-new-cabinet-secretary/ Sir Chris Wormald is the new Cabinet Secretary]</ref> then Registrar General for England and Wales 1990–96.
==Career== Wormald joined the Civil Service in 1991, working in the Department for Education (later the Department for Education and Employment). Rising to Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2001 until 2004, he then worked on the Academies programme.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/chris-wormald|title=Sir Chris Wormald|work=GOV.UK|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
In 2006 Wormald transferred to the newly formed Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), promoted to be Director-General of Local Government and Regeneration. In 2009, he moved to the Cabinet Office as the Head of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat, succeeding Sir Paul Britton.<ref>[https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/about-us/our-people/sir-paul-britton www.nationalchurchestrust.org]</ref> Following the general election in 2010 and the consequent change in the position of Deputy Prime Minister, Wormald additionally became Head of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/oct/25/nick-clegg-team-wormald-whitehall|title=Nick Clegg shuffles private team to ease workload|last=Wintour|first=Patrick|date=25 October 2010|work=The Guardian|issn=0261-3077|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
In March 2012, Wormald left the Cabinet Office to return to the Department for Education as its Permanent Secretary, replacing Sir David Bell, who had retired to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-permanent-secretary-for-department-for-education|title=New Permanent Secretary for Department for Education|work=GOV.UK|date=29 February 2012|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref> Wormald served under both Michael Gove and Nicky Morgan during their tenures as Secretary of State for Education.
As of 2015, Wormald was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999 by DCLG, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview|title=Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015|date=17 December 2015|work=GOV.UK|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref> In January 2016 it was announced that Wormald would transfer to the Department of Health and Social Care later in 2016, replacing Dame Una O'Brien after her retirement as its Permanent Secretary.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-permanent-secretary-for-the-department-of-health|title=New Permanent Secretary for the Department of Health|work=GOV.UK|date=15 January 2016|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
Wormald was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2017 Birthday Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=61962|supp=y|page=B3|date=17 June 2017}}</ref>
In December 2024, it was announced that Wormald would take over from Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgx5k4031yo |title=Chris Wormald to become new civil service head |work=BBC News |date=2 December 2024 |first=Jennifer |last=McKiernan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/89d5c381-c231-46ab-ba22-bc7fe151987a |title=Chris Wormald appointed UK's top civil servant |work=Financial Times |date=2 December 2024 |first=Lucy |last=Fisher}}</ref> His appointment was criticised by the Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group claiming he had "refused in the UK COVID Inquiry to accept failures on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/dec/02/keir-starmer-appoints-chris-wormald-as-new-cabinet-secretary |title=Keir Starmer appoints Chris Wormald as new Cabinet Secretary |work=The Guardian |date=2 December 2024 |first=Peter |last=Walker}}</ref>
In July 2025 it was reported that prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and his political aides had "buyer's remorse" over their choice of Wormald as the cabinet secretary due to him being perceived as too entrenched in the status quo to deliver radical reform.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mason |first=Rowena |last2= |first2= |date=2025-07-05 |title=No 10 regrets choice of 'insipid' new cabinet secretary, sources say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/05/no-10-regrets-cabinet-secretary-chris-wormald |access-date=2026-02-14 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
In October 2025 Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said attacks on Wormald "stink of political cowardice", as concerns mounted inside the government about his performance. Penman said anonymous criticism was "hugely damaging". "Chris Wormald is the civil servant's civil servant. That is apparently what Starmer wanted, someone who won't be making headlines", Penman said.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/22/attacks-on-uk-cabinet-secretary-stink-of-political-cowardice Attacks on UK cabinet secretary ‘stink of political cowardice’, union leader says]</ref>
On 9 February 2026 it was reported that Wormald was negotiating terms for his resignation.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/09/keir-starmer-press-chief-tim-allan-quits-morgan-mcsweeney/ Top civil servant to be third senior figure to quit Downing Street in days, Ben Riley-Smith and Dominic Penna, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 9 February 2026]</ref> ''The Guardian'', which first reported the news, said that some of those close to Starmer viewed his appointment as "disastrous".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/09/top-civil-servant-could-become-third-key-no-10-departure-in-days]</ref> His departure came amid a wider political crisis linked to the scandal surrounding Peter Mandelson and his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, which had triggered multiple resignations within the government.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tabahriti |first=Sam |date=February 12, 2026 |title=Britain's most senior government official stands down |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-most-senior-government-official-stands-down-2026-02-12/ |access-date=19 February 2026 |website=Eeuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miguel |first=Rafa de |date=2026-02-12 |title=El caso Epstein se cobra también la cabeza del alto funcionario de mayor rango del Reino Unido |url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2026-02-12/el-caso-epstein-se-cobra-tambien-la-cabeza-del-alto-funcionario-de-mayor-rango-del-reino-unido.html |access-date=2026-02-13 |website=El País |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-12 |title=Dimite el secretario de gabinete de Starmer en pleno escándalo por los papeles de Epstein |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.es/global/dimite-secretario-gabinete-starmer-pleno-escandalo-papeles-epstein-f202602.html |access-date=2026-02-13 |website=ElHuffPost |language=es}}</ref> Wormald stepped down as Cabinet Secretary on 12 February 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary have agreed by mutual consent the Cabinet Secretary will stand down |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-prime-minister-and-cabinet-secretary-have-agreed-by-mutual-consent-the-cabinet-secretary-will-stand-down |access-date=2026-02-12 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references />
== External links == * [http://www.civilserviceworld.com/interview-chris-wormald Interview in ''Civil Service World'' with Wormald in 2013]
{{S-start}} {{S-gov}} {{S-bef | before = Sir David Bell }} {{S-ttl | title = Permanent Secretary of the<br />Department for Education | years = 2012–2016 }} {{s-aft | after = Jonathan Slater }}
{{S-bef | before = Dame Una O'Brien }} {{S-ttl | title = Permanent Secretary of the<br />Department of Health and Social Care | years = 2016–2024 }} {{s-aft | after = Sir Chris Whitty }} {{s-bef|before=Simon Case}} {{s-ttl|title=Head of the Home Civil Service<br />Cabinet Secretary|years=2024–2026}} {{s-aft| after = Dame Antonia Romeo}} {{S-end}}
{{Heads of the Home Civil Service}} {{Secretaries of the Cabinet}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wormald, Chris}} Category:Living people Category:1968 births Category:People educated at Rutlish School Category:Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Category:Alumni of Imperial College London Category:British permanent secretaries Category:21st-century British civil servants Category:Civil servants in the Department of Education (United Kingdom) Category:Civil servants in the Department for Communities and Local Government Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for health Category:Civil servants in the Cabinet Office Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:Cabinet secretaries (United Kingdom)