Ex-Cabinet Secretary Simon Case is handed peerage despite grovelling apology for Covid WhatsApps branding officials 'feral' and 'pygmies'
A former head of the Civil Service has been handed a peerage despite controversy over his time at the heart of government.
Simon Case, who stood down as Cabinet secretary last year after four years, will become a crossbencher former national security adviser Tim Barrow, it has been announced.
Lord Case, a former aide to the Prince of Wales, served under four prime ministers between 202 and 2024, leading the Civil Service during the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the funeral of Elizabeth II.
But his tenure was not without controversy. He was forced to recuse himself from leading an investigation into the ' Partygate ' scandal following allegations his own office had held a Christmas event during lockdown - though he was not one of those fined over the scandal.
In 2023, evidence presented to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry revealed he was often exasperated by the Johnson administration.
Messages revealed he found Mr Johnson's style of working 'very frustrating' and described his day-to-day administration as 'dysfunctional'.
In July 2020, before he became Cabinet Secretary, he told a friend: 'I've never seen a bunch of people less well-equipped to run a country.'
He also described Mr Johnson and his inner circle as 'basically feral'.
Others to be given peerages include Olympic gold medalist Katherine Grainger and former John Lewis chairwoman Sharon White.
Baroness Grainger, now chairwoman of the British Olympic Association (BOA), is Britain's most decorated female rower.
In addition to winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics, she won four silver medals – in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2016 – and six world championship titles.
Baroness Grainger then spent eight years as chairwoman of UK Sport before leaving the post this year and taking up the leadership of the BOA.
Lord Barrow played a key role in Brexit negotiations as the UK's representative to the EU between 2017 and 2021, before becoming national security adviser under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
He had been lined up by Mr Sunak to take over as ambassador to the US, but the change of government last year led to Sir Keir Starmer appointing Lord Peter Mandelson instead.
Baroness White was the first black person and second woman to become a permanent secretary at the Treasury, before serving as CEO of Ofcom between 2015 and 2019. She then chaired John Lewis between 2020 and 2024.
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