Second Permanent Secretary
Simon Ridley
Biography
Simon has previously served as:
- Head of the Cabinet Office COVID-19 Taskforce, from March 2020 to March 2022
- Director General, Withdrawal Agreement, Transition Taskforce, from January 2020 to March 2020
- Director General Future Economic Partnership, Department for Exiting the European Union, from July 2019 to January 2020
- Director General, Decentralisation and Growth, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, from 2015 to 2019
- Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate, from 2014 to 2015
Simon served as Acting Permanent Secretary at the Home Office from 28 March until 14 April 2025.
Second Permanent Secretary
Simon leads the Migration and Borders System.
The Migration and Borders System is made up of:
- Migration and Borders Group
- Strategic Operations for Illegal Migration
- Customer Services
- Immigration Enforcement
- Border Force
Simon line manages the Migration and Borders directors general.
Previous roles in government
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Acting Permanent Secretary
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Second Permanent Secretary, Home Office and DLUHC
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Director General
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Director General, Decentralisation and Growth
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Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate
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Director General, Local Government and Public Services