Whitehall's next top boss

Political Party Conference season is always an odd, in-between period plonked conveniently just after the summer recess and before the hard yards of autumn and winter. It would be fascinating to see a quiz each year as to just what the general public remembers from the Labour Conference in Liverpool last week – any specific policy announcements or just headlines about football freebies and a gaffe about sausages?

While Labour’s gathering could and should have been a victory lap for the Prime Minister, this week’s Conservative Party Conference should have a laser focus on why the Party lost the election. There is the added sideshow of the four leadership contenders, each of them having been given a speaking slot and a market stall to make their pitch to Party members. The search is apparently still on for what Tom Tugendhat actually believes.

Back in London, and probably going unnoticed to the majority of the electorate, the race to succeed Simon Case as cabinet secretary has begun. I think it would be fair to summarise Mr. Case’s tenure as chaotic, give the revelations about Number 10 parties during lockdown, among other things. Let’s be honest though, Cabinet Secretaries are usually known only to those who scroll Twitter (or X if you’re feeling modern) a hundred times a day or who are fond of Yes Minister. The most important political person that you’ve never heard of?

An article in The Times accurately describes the difference here: “While the next Tory leader will almost certainly not get anywhere near power for at least five years, the next cabinet secretary will immediately take a role at the heart of the British state, perhaps second only to the Prime Minister.”

The Conservative leadership candidates will doubtless dispute this, insisting that victory is possible at the next election. It therefore seems a tad ridiculous for the leadership contest to conclude two days after Budget day, meaning that the post-Budget charge for the Conservatives will be led by the man who led them to electoral disaster. By comparison, William Hague had been in post as leader of the opposition for two weeks by the time of Gordon Brown’s first Budget in July 1997.

So while there will be jostling behind the scenes and away from the public gaze to replace Simon Case, a lot rides on the choice of Mr. Case’s successor. How will this person get on with the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Sue Gray? Will there continue to be leaks from within Number 10? Can this person help rebuild trust in the civil service? And how will they facilitate the new Labour government’s agenda?

As the pieces change on the differing sides of the British political chessboard once again, it will be interesting to see when the usual rhythm of Westminster politics resumes next week.