Report

Revamping government reform

Think tank: Institute for Government

Author(s): Alex Thomas; Jordan Urban

July 26, 2023

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the long-awaited refresh of its civil service reform programme.

Two years after the publication of the Declaration on Government Reform, the government has set out a long-awaited refresh of its civil service reform programme. Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin detailed his priorities for the civil service on 19 July, focusing on: “specialisation, more access to outside voices and fresh ideas, staying longer in post, delivering certainty on what we are seeking to achieve and benefiting from crisp evaluation on whether we have, while embracing the digital future which will transform all our working lives”. At the same time, five ‘reform missions’ were announced, with little fanfare, on GOV.UK. This short insight paper offers the Institute for Government’s view on the new changes.