Politicians celebrate life of Sir Jeremy Heywood at Westminster Abbey service

Senior figures from across the political spectrum have gathered at Westminster Abbey for a memorial service to celebrate the life and work of a former cabinet secretary.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, who spent four years as head of the Civil Service, died of cancer in November last year at the age of 56, days after retiring through ill- health.

Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service
Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service

His position as one of Whitehall’s most senior mandarins under four successive prime ministers led him to be regarded as a key behind-the-scenes influence in the shaping of modern Britain.

Casting aside any political differences, Prime Minister Theresa May and her predecessors, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, gathered at Westminster Abbey on Thursday for a thanksgiving service.

Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service
Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service

They were joined by Sir Jeremy’s wife, Suzanne, his family, friends and former colleagues, as well as civil servants and political figures, including ex-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and former chancellor George Osborne, as they marked his work and life.

In a testimony delivered without notes, Mrs May hailed Sir Jeremy as “the greatest public servant of our time”, adding that he was “not just an extraordinary adviser but an extraordinary doer”.

“Nothing stopped him until he found a solution,” she said. “Whatever the issue was, Jeremy always sorted it and time and time again.”

Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service
Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service

Mr Cameron stressed that not only was Sir Jeremy a great man, but a “good man in every sense of the word”.

He added: “Loyal, incredibly hard-working, a team player and with a deep moral sense of right and wrong. He possessed a huge brain and he devoted it to public service, and the nation should be grateful.”

In a cross-party show of respect, Mr Blair remarked that Sir Jeremy not only represented the Civil Service, but lived it and “defended it in the face of politics high or low”.

Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service
Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service

Mr Clegg celebrated Sir Jeremy’s tenacity and intellect, and Mr Brown described him as a “creative genius in the thick of it”, adding that he was a “great man” who “achieved so much in so little time”.

“In May 2010 I left a handwritten note to David Cameron saying something like ‘The country is in good hands, Jeremy is running it’,” he said to laughter.

Among other attendees were Alastair Campbell, Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper, David and Ed Miliband, as well as Amber Rudd, Brandon Lewis, James Brokenshire, David Lidington, Greg Clarke, Matt Hancock, Julian Smith, Brexit adviser Olly Robbins and current Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill.

Sir Jeremy became Cabinet Secretary in 2012 and previously served as principal private secretary to prime ministers Mr Blair and Mr Brown, chief of staff to Mr Brown and Downing Street permanent secretary to Mr Cameron.

The father-of-three revealed earlier last year that he had been diagnosed with cancer in June 2017, but remained in post during a summer of political upheaval triggered by the shock general election result.

Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service
Lord Heywood Thanksgiving Service

Taking a leave of absence last June, he announced on October 24 that he was stepping down, with then acting Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark taking over the role on a permanent basis.

Addressing the congregation, Lady Heywood highlighted that, despite the demands of his job, her husband had the ability to be “completely present when he was with us despite the many challenges of his working life”.

During the hour-long service, Welsh singer Cerys Matthews sang Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, and the Abbey’s bells were rung at the end of the memorial event.

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