Britain's most senior government official, Chris Wormald, agreed with Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stand down, the third member of his team to go in recent days after the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador threw the government into crisis. Also Read Keir Starmer’s chief of staff resigns over Peter Mandelson appointment controversy"I have agreed with him that he will step down as Cabinet Secretary today," he added. Wormald was appointed to the post in December 2024, the most senior role in the civil service - the permanent non-political government workforce. He said it had been "an honour and a privilege to serve as a civil servant for the past 35 years." Mandelson has said he does not recall having received payments from Epstein and has not commented publicly on allegations he leaked documents.

Source: The Telegraph February 12, 2026 18:40 UTC