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SIR SIMON CASE, WHO SERVED AS THE HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE FOR FOUR DIFFERENT PRIME MINISTERS, SAID THE GOVERNMENT NEEDED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW MEANS OF LAUNCHING BRITAIN'S NUCLEAR
DETERRENT ABBIE WIGHTWICK Education Editor and DAVID LYNCH PA POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT 17:38, 24 May 2025 The former head of the Civil Service, Sir Simon Case, who resigned as Cabinet
secretary in December, has forecasted that the next two decades will be "dominated" by conflict between nations. In his first significant interview since stepping down, Sir Simon
spoke to The Times, where he called on ministers to explore alternative methods for deploying Britain's nuclear deterrent, which is currently maintained on submarines that are on
constant patrol. He suggested to the publication that land or jet-fired missiles could be options and recommended that such changes should be declared in the upcoming strategic defence
review, a comprehensive assessment of the UK's defence capabilities. "In my view you wouldn't rely on a single system for anything. That's true in many walks of life, let
alone nuclear deterrence," he told The Times. Having worked with four prime ministers as the Civil Service chief, Sir Simon described himself as a "pessimist" in light of
escalating global unrest. "As I look out on my children's lives, the next 10 and probably 20 years is going to be dominated by this inter-state conflict," he remarked. Sir
Simon also stressed: "It feels to me that we across the Western alliance need to get our skates on and be ready." During an appearance on The Times' new podcast, The General
& The Journalist, earlier this week, Sir Simon expressed that the UK should increase its defence spending to 3% as swiftly as possible. Sir Keir Starmer's Government has pledged to
increase defence spending to 2.5% of the UK's GDP by 2027, with a further commitment to raise it to 3% in the subsequent parliament. Article continues below The former civil servant
retired at the end of last year due to a rare health condition. He held the position of Cabinet secretary under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer. Sir Simon also had
high-ranking roles in the Civil Service under previous prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.