Lord Kerslake: Former Civil Service head dies aged 68

Lord Kerslake, a former head of the Civil Service, has died at the age of 68.

Lord Kerslake, who had been diagnosed with cancer, died on Saturday, his sister and daughter announced on Twitter.

He led the Civil Service between January 2012 and September 2014, during David Cameron's coalition government.

He had recently been working with the Labour Party on its preparations for the next general election.

Bath-born Lord Kerslake started his career in local government with the Greater London Council, and was knighted in the 2005 New Year honours list for services to local government.

As Bob Kerslake, he served as chief executive of Sheffield City Council between 1997 and 2008, before heading to the Homes and Communities Agency.

He was permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015 - he retained this role when he became the head of the Civil Service.

He left the Civil Service in 2015, he became chair of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and chair of the board of governors at Sheffield Hallam University.

He was also president of the Local Government Association from 2015 to 2021, and chaired the independent investigation into the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which reported in 2018.

He was introduced as a crossbench life peer in the House of Lords in 2015.

Following the news of his death, senior Labour figures paid tribute, including party leader Sir Keir Starmer, who described Lord Kerslake as a "talented public servant, utmost professional, and a good man... rightly respected across Westminster for his experience and wisdom".

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy described him as "an endless source of advice and encouragement," adding that his knowledge of both central and local government was "unparalleled".

The chairman of the FDA union, David Penman, said he was "an engaging and committed leader of the Civil Service".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Lord Kerslake's "kindness and commitment to improving our city and country will always be remembered".

As well as his political commitments, Lord Kerslake was the chair of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The theatre group said they were "deeply saddened" by his death.

"Lord Kerslake guided the organisation with generosity, passion and kindness," the statement from the Crucible Theatre added, "we are so grateful for his huge contribution to our theatres and our city".