Civil service reform? Burnham is rearranging deck chairs Opinion Politicians are finally discovering what taxpayers have known for years: the civil service is too big, too expensive and too slow.
Reform to slash HMRC officials’ pay if taxpayers wait too long Politics HMRC officials would be fined and dismissed if they keep taxpayers waiting too long to deal with government services under a Reform UK government. If Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister, customer services officers at the tax collector would have their pay tied to performance levels and be required to keep waiting times to below 30 [...]
Burnham is wrong. Devolution will only grow Whitehall Opinion Despite promises to streamline, the Civil Service has only grown and grown. Burnham's devolution will make it worse, says Arthur Reynolds.
Starmer to give Burnham access to government June 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer is set to hand Andy Burnham access to the civil service “as soon as possible”. After announcing his resignation, Starmer is preparing for a transition in government over the next four weeks. A government spokesperson confirmed that Burnham and other prospective Prime Ministers would be able to engage with senior civil servants [...]
Former deputy PM Dominic Raab moves into PR with advisory role at Kreab May 21, 2026 Dominic Raab, the former deputy prime minister, is joining the City arm of communications consultancy Kreab as a senior adviser specialising in defence and intelligence. Raab’s new role will see him advising clients on defence and security challenges, including domestic politics, public policy and international geopolitics. Kreab, a leading global strategic communications and public affairs consultancy, [...]
The civil service needs a new Code May 6, 2026 Wherever the fault lies following the departure of Sir Olly Robbins from government, it’s clear that this is another blow to the already damaged relationship between ministers and civil servants, says Joe Hill The things organisations say they value can differ a lot from the things they actually value. Enron – a company which went [...]
Business leaders, I beseech you, join the government and steer the ship of state April 29, 2026 Business leaders embody the antithesis of what the government machine has become, which is why it needs them, writes Ameer Kotecha.
We talked to 12 permanent secretaries about how to rewire the state – here’s what they said April 8, 2026 The path to an integrated digital state must be problem-led, not tech led, says Yatin Mahandru The UK government has an ambitious vision – a ‘rewiring of the British state’ powered by digital and AI. Leadership is clear that “no person’s substantive time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do [...]
Britons grumble about hospitals despite Labour’s NHS drive February 26, 2026 Britons remain frustrated with the state of hospitals despite the Labour government’s push to splash out on the NHS, a new report has suggested. Polling by Ipsos for Deloitte and Re:State, a think tank focused on state capabilities, found that 42 per cent of Britons were dissatisfied with hospitals across the country. Under a third [...]
Graduate jobs crisis: Here’s who is actually still hiring in 2026 February 25, 2026 The job market is looking bleak. For recent graduates it’s not just a downturn, but a great big wall blocking off access to an early career. But in a vicious, Darwinian struggle for a meagre handful of jobs, there could still be advantages for grads. The whippersnapper hiring slowdown is a many-headed beast, but the [...]