Top civil servant David Sterling who ran NI in midst of powersharing crisis is knighted

David Sterling, who recently retired as the head of the NI Civil Service, said he sees the “humbling” honour as recognition of the whole organisation’s work during the turbulent three-year impasse without elected ministers in office.

The married 62-year-old said he hopes the achievements of colleagues amid the Stormont stand-off, and subsequently through the coronavirus pandemic, has challenged the narrative that the Civil Service is “broken”.

Mr Sterling, who insists he will not be using the formal title Sir David, said he never imagined that he would find himself in charge of public services in Northern Ireland.

“We were determined throughout that period that we would keep the lights on, we would keep the show on the road,” he told the PA news agency.

“But we wanted as far as we could to do more than just keep things ticking over.”

The father of two, who was a civil servant for 42 years, added: “When I think back and look at the enormity of the challenge, it would have been overwhelming if I had known in early 2017 that it was going to last for over two and a half years.

“I think what made it easier to cope with was the fact that, certainly in the early days, the expectation was always that the executive was going to be back reasonably soon.”

That was not to prove the case as the political impasse between the DUP and Sinn Fein, which was triggered by a row over the botched renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme but soon widened to encompass other disputes, drifted on and on.

It finally ended in January, when Stormont’s five main parties signed up to the New Decade, New Approach deal to restore powersharing.

Mr Sterling said one of the overriding emotions that marked his period at the helm was loneliness.

“It was quite lonely because you didn’t really have anybody to turn to,” he said.

“I joked that I was the only public servant in these islands who actually didn’t have anybody to report to.

“Nobody was telling me what to do, I wasn’t answerable to anybody.

“And that was just an unusual position for a civil servant to find themselves in.”

The responsibilities also came with an unexpected public profile, as he found himself at press conferences and representing Northern Ireland at major events.

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