The Cabinet Secretary, with the Prime Minister’s approval, has appointed Jeremy Pocklington as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence. The decision was confirmed in a Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence press notice published on 31 October 2025. He will succeed David Williams, who is leaving the Civil Service. Mr Pocklington currently serves as Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
According to his official biography, Mr Pocklington became DESNZ Permanent Secretary in February 2023 following two years as Permanent Secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and, before that, at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Earlier roles included Director General posts in energy policy at BEIS and DECC, senior positions in the Cabinet Office, and leadership of the Enterprise and Growth Unit at HM Treasury.
Ministers framed the move as leadership to support delivery of the government’s defence agenda. The Defence Secretary, John Healey, welcomed the appointment in the context of delivering the Strategic Defence Review and strengthening defence’s contribution to the wider economy. The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, highlighted Mr Pocklington’s record in major programmes and departmental reform. Mr Pocklington said he looked forward to working with military and civilian teams to drive Defence Reform.
As Permanent Secretary, Mr Pocklington becomes the department’s principal civilian adviser and its Departmental Accounting Officer. The post carries responsibility for policy, finance and planning across defence, as well as the overall organisation, management and staffing of the department. The role is a member of the Defence Council and the Defence Board and reports to the Head of the Civil Service, as set out in the Ministry of Defence’s governance statements.
The appointment comes as the department moves from policy to implementation on the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025. The Review sets a ‘NATO first’ approach, prioritises warfighting readiness, and outlines procurement and innovation reforms intended to move capability into service faster, including greater use of drones, AI and digital systems.
The Review also signals an intention to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and to 3% in the next Parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow. It positions defence as a driver of prosperity through a new partnership with industry and radical procurement reforms. The Permanent Secretary will be responsible for aligning governance, workforce planning and budgets to these commitments while maintaining Accounting Officer standards on cost, schedule and benefits.
The Cabinet Office said the appointment followed an external recruitment exercise chaired by the independent First Civil Service Commissioner. The government will set out the process to replace the DESNZ Permanent Secretary in a separate announcement.
David Williams departs after more than four years as the Ministry of Defence’s Permanent Secretary. Ministers and officials recorded their thanks for his leadership and more than three decades of public service. No formal start date for Mr Pocklington’s arrival was included in the announcement.
For defence suppliers and delivery partners, the change points to continuity in the Review’s direction: shorter procurement cycles, stronger emphasis on data‑enabled and cyber capabilities, and closer partnership with the UK industrial base. For civil servants, attention will focus on programme controls, skills and resourcing to sustain delivery as priorities are re‑sequenced under the Review.