Civil Service

Politics has moved frenetically in recent weeks. There has been the appointment of a new First Minister in Scotland, the drama of England’s local elections, and, inevitably, countless headlines over the Government’s Rwanda plan as it entered the UK … [Read more...] about Is the UK Subject to a Deep State? Liz Truss and the Civil Service

The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) is a division of government lawyers who specialise in drafting legislation and assist with its passage through the legislative process. The OPC is responsible for drafting all government bills, advising … [Read more...] about The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel: Functions, Comparisons, Criticisms 

The current state of government contracting to the private sector may appear on the surface to be a niche concern. However, its significance should not be understated, with a recent HM Treasury report calculating gross spending by the Government on … [Read more...] about Will it simplify or obfuscate? The Procurement Act 2023

In March 2023, the Cabinet Office released an internal policy regulating the use of private communications channels. The policy discouraged the use of platforms such as private email, WhatsApp, or SMS for official government business. It superseded, … [Read more...] about Government by WhatsApp: a fetter on scrutiny?

On 8 September 2022 Tom Scholar was removed from his position as Permanent Secretary to the Treasury by Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng. It was widely reported that the sacking of Scholar was a politically driven decision intended to rail … [Read more...] about ‘Politicisation’ of the Civil Service? The House of Lords Constitution Committee Reports

In a previous post I started to examine the hazy world of ‘Royal Commissions’ and similar bodies. Most commentators and analysts of such bodies maintained there was not very much difference between Royal Commissions and the many similar … [Read more...] about Royal Commissions Part Two: Government by Commission 

The decision of Sue Gray – a Senior Civil Servant – to leave the Service and accept a job offer from the Labour Party to become Sir Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff has sparked a great deal of controversy. All sorts of allegations have been thrown … [Read more...] about Sue Gray and the Labour Party

Few, if any, independent observers believe that the United Kingdom has been well governed over recent years.  The causes are many and complex but relatively little attention has been paid to the contribution of the senior civil service to … [Read more...] about A mounting crisis? A survey and summary of reports into the senior civil service