Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, is stepping back from his role to take a period of medical leave for a “few weeks”.
The Cabinet Office said that Case is taking a “short period of leave because of a private medical matter” and that he is due to return work. It comes as Rishi Sunak faces one of the most challenging periods of his premiership, with Israel on the cusp of invading Gaza and mounting pressure at home in the wake of two by-election defeats.
Case was due to give evidence to the Covid-19 public inquiry about the government’s handling of the pandemic in the coming weeks. The inquiry published phone messages earlier this month in which he appeared to mock Boris Johnson’s handling of the crisis.
Sunak is expected to brief the cabinet on the situation this week, according to Politico, the politics site. Because his leave is expected to be relatively short there is not expected to be a temporary replacement.
A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: “The cabinet secretary is taking a short period of leave because of a private medical matter and is due to return to work in a few weeks.”
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Case joined the Cabinet Office under Johnson, who hired him to lead the civil service despite the fact that he had never run a department before. He previously worked as private secretary for Prince William.
Case’s candid Whatsapp messages during the pandemic have put him under further scrutiny. In 2020 Case said he was “going to scream” after Johnson requested plans for a short-term “circuit breaker” lockdown as Covid numbers rose again.
“Whatever Carrie [Johnson] cares about, I guess. This gov’t doesn’t have the credibility to be imposing stuff within only days of deciding not to. We look like a terrible, tragic joke.”
