Introduction
Over the past two years, there has been a notable series of departures among ministers and senior officials during Keir Starmer’s tenure as prime minister. The recent resignation of senior civil servant Olly Robbins from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) marks the latest in this succession. Below is an overview of some of the most prominent resignations since Starmer assumed office.
Sue Gray
Sue Gray served as the prime minister’s chief of staff from July to October 2024. She gained widespread recognition as the second permanent secretary to the Cabinet Office when she investigated the Partygate scandal. Her critical report on the government led by Boris Johnson was influential in his eventual resignation.
Gray resigned from her role as Starmer’s chief of staff in October 2024, following her involvement in a political controversy since Labour took office in July. She faced criticism for the party’s handling of the so-called freebies scandal, with some questioning her "political experience," despite her deep understanding of civil service operations. Additionally, her salary was leaked to the press, revealing she earned £3,000 more than the prime minister, which sparked significant backlash among advisers.
She was also held responsible for the comparatively lower pay received by special advisers relative to their Conservative predecessors, leading to concerns among many advisers.
Morgan McSweeney
Morgan McSweeney succeeded Gray as the prime minister’s chief of staff, serving from October 2024 to February 2026. Prior to this, he held various roles within the Labour party, including campaign director during the successful 2024 general election.
McSweeney’s tenure became increasingly untenable amid controversy surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson. His position was further compromised following the release of emails revealing Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In February 2026, McSweeney resigned, stating he took "full responsibility" for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, who had been a close ally and political mentor.
Chris Wormald
Chris Wormald served as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service from 2024 to 2026. The Mandelson-Epstein scandal led to his departure in February 2026, with Starmer effectively forcing him out of his position.
The government announced that Wormald was stepping down "by mutual consent." Reports indicated that Wormald lost the prime minister’s confidence due to the process that approved Mandelson’s ambassadorial role and his perceived lack of initiative in advancing civil service reforms.
Olly Robbins
Olly Robbins held the position of permanent secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office from 2025 to 2026. He is known for his role as chief Brexit negotiator between 2017 and 2019.
Robbins resigned from his post in February 2026 after it emerged that his department had overruled a decision to fail Peter Mandelson during his security vetting. Robbins was the Foreign Office’s most senior official in late January 2025 when the decision was made, which allowed Mandelson to become the UK ambassador to the United States.
reported that Robbins was instructed to resign after both the prime minister and the current foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, lost confidence in him.
Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner served as deputy prime minister from July 2024 to September 2025. She is the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne and also held the roles of housing secretary and deputy leader of the Labour party.
Rayner left the government after the prime minister’s ethics adviser found she had breached the ministerial code concerning the underpayment of stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat.
Laurie Magnus acknowledged that Rayner had "acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service" but concluded that she had breached the ministerial code regarding her tax affairs.
Her departure was a significant blow to the prime minister, who had initially stood firmly by her, and it damaged his authority.
Josh Simons
Josh Simons was a Cabinet Office minister from September 2025 to February 2026. He became an MP in July 2024, representing Makerfield.
Simons resigned following revelations by that he had falsely represented himself in emails to GCHQ, despite claiming to be "surprised" and "furious" about a PR firm’s investigation into their journalism.
Previously, Simons had led the thinktank Labour Together. He stepped down on 28 February 2026, stating that his presence in office had become "a distraction from this government’s important work."
He had faced increasing pressure over his involvement in Labour Together’s commissioning of the lobbying and public affairs agency APCO to investigate journalists reporting on the thinktank’s failure to disclose political donations.
Tulip Siddiq
Tulip Siddiq was economic secretary to the Treasury from July 2024 to January 2025. She has been the MP for Hampstead and Highgate since 2015 and held shadow roles under both Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer when they led the opposition.
Siddiq resigned in January 2025 as Treasury minister after acknowledging that the government was being harmed by controversy surrounding her close ties to her aunt, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, who was accused of corruption.
Siddiq, who served as City and anti-corruption minister, stepped aside following an investigation by Laurie Magnus, the adviser on ministerial standards, into her use of properties provided to her and her family by allies of Sheikh Hasina’s regime.
Magnus found no evidence that Siddiq had broken any rules regarding her use of the properties or that her assets were derived from illegitimate means.
In December 2025, a court in Bangladesh sentenced Siddiq’s aunt to two years in jail after ruling she was complicit in corrupt land deals. The trial was conducted in absentia, and Siddiq did not attend any proceedings. The UK does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, making it unlikely Siddiq will serve the sentence. The Labour party stated it did not recognize the corruption judgment against Siddiq, citing her denial of a fair legal process.
Siddiq has denied the charges, asserting that much of the evidence presented by prosecutors was forged.
Louise Haigh
Louise Haigh served as transport secretary from July 2024 to November 2024. She has been the MP for Sheffield Heeley since 2015.
Haigh resigned in November 2024 as transport secretary just 12 hours after it was revealed she had been convicted of fraud related to a missing work phone.
She submitted her resignation to the prime minister, stating that "whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering the work of this government."
Her resignation followed the disclosure that she had pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation in 2014, after an investigation by her former employer, Aviva, concerning a missing work phone.
