The head of the civil service resigned yesterday, saying the appointment of a new Premier made it a sensible time for him to retire. However, John Drinkwater moved to quash speculation that he was forced out by the new Ewart Brown Cabinet.

Mr. Drinkwater, 62, who has been Secretary to the Cabinet for six years, said he had been looking for the appropriate moment to retire for some time.

“I have been a member of the civil service for some 23 years, with the last six being spent in the often stressful environment of the Cabinet Office. The appointment of a new Premier is a sensible and logical time for me to move on to allow a new team to come to grips with the important issues facing our community,” he said.

“I leave the service in a positive and optimistic frame of mind, confident in the ability of the civil service and comfortable with the fact that I leave behind me several individuals well able to fill my shoes.

“It has been a pleasure to serve, and I wish the Premier and his Cabinet my very best wishes for the future.”

Questioned over the fact that his resignation came just four days after Dr. Brown won the PLP leadership, he said: “I would like to take the opportunity to quash any rumours that might exist that I was somehow pushed out or constructively dismissed.

“I elected to meet with the Premier to give him my position. I do not know the Premier well but I have sat in Cabinet with him for a period and we have a cordial relationship. “I do want to dispel any idea that Dr. Brown is trying to get rid of me, or anybody else. It’s simply not true.”

Mr. Drinkwater said he could not give a firm date for his departure, but Assistant Cabinet Secretary Kenneth Dill would take over his duties from today.

He said he would then leave “as soon as I have tied up the loose ends”. Of his future plans, he said: “I am going to have to work. I have no idea what it will be doing, but I know myself well enough to know I won’t be happy otherwise.”

Both Dr. Brown and Deputy Premier Paula Cox took the opportunity to pay tribute to the long-serving civil servant.

Dr. Brown said: “We were somewhat surprised today that John Drinkwater announced his intention to resign. He has done a great deal of work for this Government. He started off in the Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety and then when he came to Cabinet worked tirelessly to promote the agenda of this Government.

“We will surely miss him but I understand what he said to me that the time had come for him to leave and this was the appropriate time for him to do that, and I thought that was a class act.”

Ms Cox said last night: “In acknowledgement of his years of service, the entire Cabinet stood as he finished his very personal goodbyes with us.

“He was very direct and very heart-warming and it was for me personal — he confided that whatever the misgivings he may have had initially (about) dealing with a change of Government, it was less daunting than dealing with me as the first PLP Minister he served in the capacity of Permanent Secretary.”

Giving an insight into the response of the Cabinet to Mr. Drinkwater’s “touching” address to them, the Deputy Premier added: “I think everyone wished Mr. Drinkwater well.