Chief civil servant Simon Case resigns from men-only Garrick Club after criticism
The UK’s chief civil servant, Simon Case, has resigned his membership from the men-only Garrick Club, Sky News understands.
It comes following criticism of his membership of the organisation due to its restrictive entry requirements.
Asked about his membership on Tuesday, Mr Case said: “I have to say, my position on this one is clear, if you believe profoundly in reform of an institution, by and large it is easier to do if you join it and make the change from within rather than chuck rocks from the outside.
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“And by the way, maths is also part of this.
“Every one person who leaves who is in favour of fixing this antediluvian position, every one of us who leaves means these institutions don’t change.
“I think when you want reform you have to participate.”
A list of members of the club was recently published by The Guardian newspaper, which included the King, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6.
The Garrick Club, London. Pic: PA
Jill Rutter, a former civil servant and now a part of the UK in a Changing Europe thinktank, criticised Mr Case’s previous defence of his membership.
She said: “Simon Case casts himself as Garrick fifth columnist leading an army of militant public servants who have just joined to change the rules to admit women.
“[I] am wondering how impressed his female colleagues are by this noble sacrifice.”
Labour MP Liam Byrne, said on social media: “I’m afraid any good the cabinet secretary may have sought ‘reforming the Garrick from the inside’ is well outweighed by the bad of our Civil Service chief indulging in membership of an elite all male club.”
According to the club’s website, the Garrick “has around 1,300 members including many of the most distinguished actors and men of letters in England”.
It goes on: “The original assurance of the committee, ‘that it would be better that ten unobjectionable men should be excluded than one terrible bore should be admitted’, ensures that the lively atmosphere for which the club was so well-known in the nineteenth century continues to invigorate members of the club in the twenty-first century.”
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The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.
The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.
It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.
In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.
“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.
“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al Sharaa in Damascus. Pic: X / @DavidLammy
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.
While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.
The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.
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Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.
In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.
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From May: Trump says US will end sanctions for Syria
He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.
“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
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