Sir Chris Wormald will become the new head of the civil service and Cabinet Secretary later this month.

The career civil servant, who has headed the Department for Health and Social Care since 2016, will be the most senior official adviser to the prime minister and Cabinet.

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The prime minister said delivering the government’s priorities would mean “re-wiring” the British state to deliver reform, and said Sir Chris’s brought “huge experience” to the role.

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He will take up the post on 16 December, when the PM said he would be responsible for the government’s “five missions”, which are at the heart of Labour’s plan for reform.

The PM said he brought huge experience to the role, adding: “From breaking down silos across government to harnessing the incredible potential of technology and innovation, it will require nothing less than the complete re-wiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform.”

Sir Chris said that work would mean civil servants learning new skills in order to match the government’s ambition, adding: “That will require each and every one of us to embrace the change agenda in how the British state operates.”

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Some civil servants responded with incredulity at the appointment, especially given the prime minister’s claim that Sir Chris would drive the “complete re-wiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform.”

One said he had “failed upwards” after he led the department for health through not only the Covid pandemic but years of preparation beforehand. Another said it was a “farcical” appointment. Several officials involved in NHS reform said they were “baffled”.