Want to keep up to date on Welsh politics? Sign up and get political news sent straight to your inbox Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The Welsh Government’s top civil servant is expected to leave her post before the end of the year, we have been told.

Dame Shan Morgan, the Permanent Secretary, is understood to have been told by First Minister Mark Drakeford that he wants “a fresh start”, according to well-placed sources.

The Welsh Government last night described reports of Dame Shan’s departure as “nonsense”, but WalesOnline understands she has personally informed cabinet ministers of the decision in one-to-one meetings with them.

The Welsh Government points out that her five-year fixed-term contract running from February 2017 still has three years to run but we understand she will leave by the end of the year.

A source described her discussion with Mr Drakeford as "amicable".

A career civil servant and diplomat, the current Permanent Secretary was formerly Britain’s ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay.

She was the UK's deputy permanent representative in Brussels when it was announced she would take charge of the Welsh Government’s administrative arm, whose headquarters is in Cathays Park, Cardiff.

Nine months after taking over from her predecessor Sir Derek Jones, Dame Shan found herself having to organise the Welsh Government’s administrative response to Carl Sargeant’s death.

In March 2018, Dame Shan refused to publish a report she had commissioned into an allegation that someone within the Welsh Government had leaked news of Mr Sargeant’s sacking in advance.

A brief statement issued after the delivery of the report stated that there had been no evidence of “prior unauthorised sharing” of information about the sacking, despite social media activity before Mr Sargeant met the First Minister suggesting he was going to lose his Ministerial post.

The phrasing of the statement led to speculation that there may have been an authorised disclosure.

Following a Senedd debate in February 2018, a majority of AMs called on the Permanent Secretary to publish the leak inquiry report, with the appropriate redactions to ensure anonymity of witnesses.

But in a letter to all AMs Dame Shan said that despite the vote she was not prepared to publish the report.

She stated: “The conclusion of the Chief Security Officer in this case was that there was no evidence of prior unauthorised sharing of information by the Welsh Government of information relating to the Ministerial reshuffle.

“I hope that Assembly Members will recognise that I have gone as far as I feel that I possibly can to respond positively to the resolution of the Assembly without divulging details of those interviewed or the evidence which they submitted.”

(Image: Richard Swingler)

A senior Welsh Government source told us: “Mark Drakeford wants to have a fresh start and had an amicable discussion with Dame Shan along those lines.”

Another highly placed source said: “It is known that Dame Shan will be leaving, although exactly when is unclear.”

However, a spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “We don’t normally comment on rumour, gossip, or speculation, but this is complete nonsense.

"The Permanent Secretary was appointed on a fixed-term contract, as is normal, which ends in 2022 with an option to extend. This story is not true.”