Simon’s on the Case

It’s all change at the top of the Civil Service as the youngest Cabinet Secretary in over a century begins his job next week. But who is Simon Case? Why has he got the job? And what are the big tasks lining his in-tray?

Plus - despite everyone around him taking the fall, Gavin Williamson still remains in post at the Department for Education, but what does this say about the accountability of ministers? And as schools reopen and people are urged to return to the office, we’ll look back at Government decision making in the first phase of the pandemic.

• “The key is having the Prime Minister’s confidence in your own authority” - Cath Haddon
• “The real issue in terms of ministerial responsibility is that other people have gone” - Cath Haddon
• “The Dept for Education made grade inflation their issue, which is why we ended up where we did” - Chris Wilkins
• “At DfE you fix the last battle and another one comes onto the horizon” - Alex Thomas
• “How much sympathy do you give the Government for a lack of information?” - Cath Haddon

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees.

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