Simon Case is
the head of the civil service, which makes him probably the most important unelected
person in politics.

The cabinet secretary’s
role is to advise the prime minister, lead implementation of the government’s
policies and manage other high-level civil servants.

Born in Bristol in 1978,
he first joined the civil service as a Ministry of Defence policy adviser in
2006.

Over the next eight years he held roles in the Cabinet Office,
the Northern Ireland Office and intelligence service GCHQ.

In 2012 he became private secretary to then-Prime Minister David
Cameron, going on to work in more senior roles within the Cabinet Office until
being promoted to the role of Cameron’s principal private secretary.

Case went on to be part of the team involved in the Brexit talks,
but left in 2018 to become Prince William’s private secretary.

He made a return to Downing Street in 2020 to help with the
government’s coronavirus response, a role that is due to be scrutinised by the inquiry
today.

Read more about Case’s pre-pandemic career here.