The recent departure of Olly Robbins from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) marks another significant exit among officials during Keir Starmer’s two years as Prime Minister. This article reviews some of the most notable resignations that have occurred since Starmer took office.<\/p>\n
Sue Gray, who served as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff from July to October 2024, became well-known for her investigation into the Partygate controversy while she was the second permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office. Her findings and subsequent criticisms of Boris Johnson’s government were instrumental in his eventual resignation.<\/p>\n
Gray stepped down from her role as chief of staff in October 2024 amidst rising political tensions following Labour’s ascension to power. Some Labour party members held her accountable for the party’s struggle to navigate the ‘freebies scandal,’ questioning her political acumen despite her deep understanding of civil service operations. Reports revealing her salary, which was \u00a33,000 higher than that of the Prime Minister, sparked significant backlash among advisers.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Gray faced criticism regarding the disparity in pay between special advisers and their counterparts from the Conservative administration, leading many Labour advisers to seek union representation over their grievances.<\/p>\n
McSweeney succeeded Gray as chief of staff, serving from October 2024 until February 2026. He had previously played a pivotal role as campaign director during the successful general election in 2024.<\/p>\n
His resignation came amid controversy surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the US ambassador. The situation became increasingly precarious following the disclosure of emails that revealed Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n
In February, McSweeney announced his resignation, accepting full responsibility for recommending Mandelson’s appointment, given their longstanding political ties.<\/p>\n
Chris Wormald served as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service from 2024 to 2026, but his tenure ended in February due to the fallout from the Mandelson-Epstein scandal. Starmer announced Wormald’s departure as a mutual decision, though reports indicated he had lost the Prime Minister’s confidence over the ambassador’s appointment process and his insufficient action on civil service reform.<\/p>\n
Robbins held the position of permanent secretary at the FCDO from 2025 until his forced resignation in February 2026. He had previously been the chief Brexit negotiator from 2017 to 2019. His resignation followed revelations that his department had overlooked concerns regarding Mandelson\u2019s security vetting, which ultimately facilitated Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador.<\/p>\n
Angela Rayner, who served as Deputy Prime Minister from July 2024 until September 2025, also resigned from her government role after an investigation by the Prime Minister\u2019s ethics adviser determined she had violated the ministerial code by underreporting stamp duty on her \u00a3800,000 seaside property. Although Laurie Magnus found that Rayner had acted with integrity, he concluded that she had nonetheless breached the code concerning her tax matters. Her resignation significantly impacted the Prime Minister, who had initially supported her, weakening his authority in the process.<\/p>\n
Josh Simons, a Cabinet Office minister from September 2025 to February 2026, resigned following a Guardian report that he had inaccurately linked reporters to a “pro-Kremlin” network in communications with GCHQ. Despite claiming surprise and anger over a public relations firm’s investigation into journalistic practices, Simons stepped down, stating that his continued presence in government had become a distraction from the essential work at hand.<\/p>\n
Tulip Siddiq, who served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from July 2024 until January 2025, resigned after acknowledging that the controversy surrounding her familial ties to a former corrupt prime minister of Bangladesh was damaging to the government. An investigation by ethics adviser Laurie Magnus cleared her of breaking any rules regarding her properties, but she chose to step aside nonetheless. However, in December 2025, a Bangladeshi court sentenced Siddiq to two years in prison for her complicity in corrupt land deals involving her aunt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The recent departure of Olly Robbins from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) marks another significant exit among officials during Keir Starmer’s two years as Prime Minister. This article reviews some of the most notable resignations that have occurred since Starmer took office. Sue Gray, who served as the Prime Minister’s chief of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2414,988,129,130,1090,555,2415,2416,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-angela-rayner","category-uk-civil-service","category-uk-keir-starmer","category-uk-labour","category-uk-morgan-mcsweeney","category-uk-politics","category-uk-sue-gray","category-uk-tulip-siddiq","category-uk"],"yoast_head":"\n