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Alex Thomas Profile picture
@AlexGAThomas
Nov 23, 2021 • 9 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
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Lots going on in this article by Kate Bingham and @thetimes report. A short(ish) thread
First, civil servants need more scientific skills. True. Lots of excellent CS scientists including @uksciencechief but more science backgrounds would be good - also people with data, digital etc skills. And govt should better use the people it already has instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/…
And that goes for commercial / procurement skills too. This part of Bingham’s argument isn’t about scientific skills, it’s about the procurement function.

But how does government work out the difference between opportunism and “valuable corporate behaviour”?
It’s with a bit of process, and healthy fear of media or parliamentary criticism. It’s relatively easy to be bold in a crisis, much harder in normal times. Fair, proper - rapid - process leads to better outcomes and avoids disasters like some of the PPE procurement horror stories
NB the lead here needs to be set by ministers, civil servants will respond to their boldness/caution
Another point Bingham makes is that structures for decision-making are sclerotic. Also true in part, but that’s also not just on the civil servants. The PM needs to use his authority to crack heads together. And the policy-making engine does need work instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/…
Bingham says not enough ministers have scientific backgrounds. Yep, fair, but I don’t buy the line that “this would not matter if we had senior CSs with scientific and technical understanding…” You need both, and the quality of ministers really matters. Again one for the PM
A call for more and better contingency planning - definitely true. I actually think this *should* be on the civil service, with permanent secretaries able to require time and resources to be invested in long-term capacity like emergency response
And finally - from the report, not Bingham’s article - Blob alert… Up to ministers what they brief, but they’ll achieve more if they avoid such crude critiques. Best leave Mr Blobby to Children In Need

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More from @AlexGAThomas

Alex Thomas Profile picture
Apr 22, 2023
Civil service impartiality. Much to say, including that other countries do things differently and more political models can work. But here’s why I think an impartial civil service matters

1) Recruitment on merit. The whole basis of the CS back to the 19th century
Get the best people to do the job. By definition “political recruitment” means “people I want who agree with me”, not the most skilled and able. The CS doesn’t always recruit well, but that’s a reason to improve recruitment not to abandon the model
2) Long-term policy making. I get that this can seem like a Trojan Horse for the perma-state, but most of the biggest problems we face don’t align with electoral cycles. On contingency planning and chronic policy problems we need more long term government thinkers
Read 12 tweets
Alex Thomas Profile picture
Apr 20, 2023
Haven't been online much in the last month or so... in catching up (and in advance of whatever happens with Dominic Raab later) thought I'd highlight some of the interesting things @instituteforgov colleagues have been up to in civil service land
The People Survey results were published a few weeks ago - @RhysClyne and @jackworlidge dissected the generally unhappy stats
And @Sachin_Savur gives further context here
Read 7 tweets
Alex Thomas Profile picture
Nov 10, 2022
New @instituteforgov comment piece from me on Sunak's cabinet committees instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/what-rish…

Always a danger in getting sucked in to committee Kremlinology here, but I think they tell us several things about how he wants to govern
1) Johnson's distinction between strategy and operations committees lives on - Sunak seems to want to chair small strategy discussions and delegate implementation. That's v reasonable, but he needs to make sure he doesn't exclude too many big beasts from important decisions
2) Hunt and Dowden, not Raab, are Sunak's real deputies. Hunt chairs the Home Affairs committee and will ensure Treasury has (even more?) influence across domestic policy. Dowden also a key presence in numerous meetings. Both are deputy chairs on the most important committees
Read 5 tweets
Alex Thomas Profile picture
Jul 30, 2022
Thank you for the shout out @Dominic2306
On the CS holding up operationally in covid - I think Cummings is referring to this. Not for the first time with DC all is not what it seems. I’m saying the conventional view of slick policy and dodgy ops flipped in the early phase of the crisis. Policy cratered, ops fared better
People who eg received furlough payments that kept them above water in 2020 have reason to thank the operational civil service. My main point is that policy making in a crisis should be better - from what he’s said elsewhere, Cummings agrees
Read 7 tweets
Alex Thomas Profile picture
Apr 1, 2022
A new lead non-executive director for the govt was announced yesterday - Michael Jary. He replaces Lord Nash who stepped down 2yrs into a 3yr term. Jary is a strategy consultant, has other non-exec jobs (Duchy Originals!) including at DLUHC since 2019 gov.uk/government/new….
What does the lead non-exec do? And does it matter? Here's an explainer from @timd_IFG on departmental boards and non executive directors (NEDs) instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/gov…
The lead non-exec convenes all the other NEDs, can critique and test the work of the Cabinet Office and, through the NED network, other departments. They also as it happens do the cabinet secretary's appraisal. So there's a fair bit of influence and potential for power
Read 8 tweets

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