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The most powerful person in the Alberta government — next to Premier Rachel Notley — has resigned.

In a surprising move, Brian Topp, chief of staff to the premier and the architect of much of the government’s aggressive agenda since the 2015 election, stepped down at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

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Topp, 56, said he had fulfilled his postelection commitments to Notley and wanted to return to Ontario to spend more time with his wife and two adult sons. He has also accepted a fellowship with the Public Policy Forum think-tank.

In an interview Wednesday afternoon, Topp said he had been planning to leave for “some time” but his departure is a shock to anyone not part of the premier’s innermost circle — and will no doubt feed speculation about why the most important person in that circle is leaving halfway through the government’s mandate.

“No, there isn’t another story,” said Topp, denying any hidden agenda even before the question was asked. “The story is that I did the job that my boss here asked me to do and now I’m going to put my family back together again.”

Topp — who has a long history with the NDP both federally and provincially across the country — said he is not going to run for the leadership of the federal NDP. He wants to spend time contemplating politics — and he’ll do that not just in Toronto but on a beach in Key West, Fla.