Mark Sedwill: UK's Top Civil Servant Steps Down

Britain's most senior civil servant stepped down on Sunday after reports of clashes with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top political adviser, part of what is expected to be a wider shake up of officials at the heart of power.

Johnson's senior political adviser, Dominic Cummings, has long been critical of the civil service, saying government is not nimble enough to deliver change. Some newspapers reported he warned aides last week that a "hard rain is going to fall".

Mark Sedwill, a career diplomat, was appointed cabinet secretary and national security adviser by Johnson's predecessor Theresa May. In a letter to Johnson released on Sunday, he wrote that, having stayed on for "the acute phase of the Covid-19 crisis," he was now leaving as "the government's focus is now shifting to domestic and global recovery and renewal".