In a message to Britain’s civil service staff, Case said “whilst the spirit remains willing, the body is not. It is a shame that I feel I have to spell this out, but my decision is solely to do with my health and nothing to do with anything else.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Case during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was brought in from a spell at Kensington Palace serving Britain’s royals and had never led a government department — a move seen as a snub to some long-serving permanent secretaries at the time.
White fêted for his competence and intellect, his detractors argued he acted more as a political courtier than a top civil servant. He was removed of his role investigating potentially rule-breaching lockdown parties in Downing Street after POLITICO reported that he had attended events himself. Case also clashed with former top Whitehall official Sue Gray, now chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
But Case said in his note to staff there had been “far more ups than downs” during his tenure.
He appeared to address criticisms of the civil service — after politicians at times accused it of bias against Brexit or against Conservative values.