Former head of civil service Lord Bob Kerslake dies with tributes flooding in

Lord Bob Kerslake has died aged 68, after a brief battle with most cancers. 

Tributes to the previous head of the civil service have poured out on social media, with Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, and Sadiq Khan paying their respects to the crossbench peer. 

Announcing the news on Twitter, Lord Kerslake’s sister Ros Kerslake CBE wrote: “My brother Bob (Lord Robert Kerslake) died yesterday after a short battle with cancer. We are all devastated.”

In one other tweet, Eleanor Kerslake added: “Unfortunately my wonderful dad Bob Kerslake died yesterday.

“We are all devastated. Dad had a couple of jobs in his time however an important to him was being a very implausible husband, dad, brother, son and granddad.”

He was nominated for a peerage by David Cameron and ennobled following his retirement as permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government, with the peerage was conferred by the late Queen in 2015.

Lord Kerslake was also a chairman of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in south London but he quit the role in 2017, warning that the health service could not continue “staggering alongside” under the current funding levels.

In tribute to Lord Kerslake today, Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “I’m very sorry to be taught that Bob Kerslake has died.

“Bob was a talented public servant, utmost professional, and a good man.

“He was rightly revered throughout Westminster for his expertise and knowledge, and I’m grateful for his latest contributions to the Labour Party.

“Sincere condolences to his family.”

UPDATES TO FOLLOW…