This would obviously be very bad for state capacity. The binding constraint on civil servants getting stuff done is, very clearly, not their belief in the political project. Have tried to capture some of this - while obvious it still bears saying. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/refo...

It's that time again... ONS Public Sector Employment dropped today, revealing a familiar pattern - the civil service just can't stop growing. An increase of 535 from Q3 2025 to Q4 2025 brings the total to 520,860 (FTE). @instituteforgovernment.org.uk

What can the Foreign Office actually do when British nationals are caught up in a crisis overseas? @hcdunlop.bsky.social and @howesdaniel.bsky.social break down the support the UK can - and can’t - provide, and why expectations often exceed reality. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/expl...

Only a quarter of civil servants think they save at least an hour a week using AI, but over 70% think AI will change how they do their current jobs. How do you square that? Hype? Bad tools? Poor training? Great thread from @hcdunlop.bsky.social looking at the new AI questions in the people survey.

A bit late to the game, but some thoughts on the 2025 civil service people survey, which for the first time asked two qs about AI. There's little we can be sure about (it's new data!), but there are some interesting observations to keep an eye on... (1/5) www.gov.uk/government/p...

The govt’s now-published digital ID consultation sets a different tone and vision for digital ID. I wrote some thoughts on what that means below 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

Darren Jones is due to announce a citizens' assembly as part of the government's consultation on digital ID cards What is a citizens' assembly and how have they been used before? See our handy @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer ⬇️

Darren Jones is expected to announce the details of the government's consultation on digital ID cards. But what key questions does the government need to answer to move its digital ID plans forward? @hcdunlop.bsky.social explored in Dec last year www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

Lots of v good points in this from @neildotobrien.bsky.social - civil service performance management is rubbish. But important not to think that's unrecognised inside CS. It's the complaint you hear most often, at all seniorities - the problem is making fixing it a priority & sticking with it!

Worth saying that DHSC was one of the morale success stories last year - engagement went up by 5 ppt between 2023 and 2024

Establishing independent commissioners is much more than a tick-box exercise Government failure to recognise the long-term commitment that comes with establishing independent commissioners makes it harder for commissioners to succeed www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/esta...

@jackworlidge.bsky.social, @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and I take a look at what’s facing Antonia Romeo in her new role 👇

Romeo was always the bold choice and is more likely than Wormald to drive the change the civil service needs. But after recent briefing she's appointed under a bit of a cloud. Not knowing where that will go makes this feel risky - and Starmer *really* can't afford another appointment going south

Antonia Romeo appointed as cabinet secretary - @alexgathomas.bsky.social and I wrote last week about the challenges ahead for her and what lessons need to be taken from Wormald's tenure: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/next...

Some thoughts from myself and my colleague @cassiarowland.bsky.social on Darren Jones' vision for a "digital state" and government's new digital roadmap. It's a good vision with some encouraging initiatives - but it needs a clearer plan www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/digi...

I spoke at the House of Lords Justice & Home Affairs Committee yesterday, on behalf of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, on immigration, citizenship and integration. Thanks to @jlowen.bsky.social, @cassiarowland.bsky.social and @hcdunlop.bsky.social for help on prep! Session here: tinyurl.com/372h6jdk

I can choose my bank, I can choose my online supermarket, I can pick where I buy books and clothes and watch TV. I cannot choose whether or not to interact with the state, it is not the same as going shopping.

A great thread from @cassiarowland.bsky.social - one of these inaccuracies is the q of the use of AI. Our recent Whitehall Monitor AI chapter emphasises that these new tools do not exist in a void; existing systems must adapt to mitigate new risks www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Good article by @matildamartin.bsky.social about govt discussions on dropping the compulsory right to work aspect. David Normington in the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk digital ID event spoke about the 2006 govt not making ID cards compulsory at first “to try to show people what the benefits were”

Darren Jones at the IfG: "digital ID is about logging in and proving who you are to access public services online. That will be not just the route to digital transformation of customer-facing public services but a very clear focus in the future on the customer" (1/5)

"A year and a half on, it's hard to say that the Civil Service is meaningfully different to the one Labour was introduced to in 2024" Labour's bid to rewire the state was welcome and necessary. However, worrying Whitehall trends have tended to get worse writes the IfG's @hannahkeenan.bsky.social

A great post from @samfr.bsky.social today showing that sometimes the small wins have a big impact. The digital transformation chapter in the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk Whitehall Monitor 2026 highlights the fact that digital successes rely on collaboration and leadership. (1/3)

Another from @hcdunlop.bsky.social and @melissaittoo.bsky.social There have been..quite a lot..of digital transformation strategies since 2010…

These 5 depts make up 68% of the civil service - with operational delivery a large proportion of those depts' numbers (as the graph @philipnye.bsky.social has posted shows!). (1/2)

This year's Whitehall Monitor deep dive into how the civil service is looking under this govt reveals familiar and longstanding problems. This govt has strongly advocated for digital transformation and AI to boost productivity - but it's not clear it's going about it in the right way (1/3)

It was interesting to talk to @matildamartin.bsky.social about what to look out for in digital ID this year - a lot for govt to consider and many questions still to answer...

NEW report from @nehaldavison.bsky.social and I. Why have successive governments failed to tackle persistent inequalities in early years outcomes? We set out 5 systemic policy making failures that lead to some children being 'left behind'. 🧵⬇️ www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

If you want to see some further thoughts from our expert panel on digital ID, my colleague @meganbryer.bsky.social has a fascinating thread which includes clips of our speakers (and the results of our small snap poll!)

The govt appears committed to driving forward digital IDs - the responsibility for the scheme now sits in the Cabinet Office, led by Darren Jones, and was described by Liz Kendall in the science, innovation and technology committee today as one of the PM's "top priorities" (1/4)

NEW: Report from me and @nehaldavison.bsky.social on how and why boys from low-income families get left behind in their early years 🧵⬇️ www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

We’re going to be navigating a likely polarising environment with information fragmentation… The chance to maintain common facts and a shared information space - alongside passionate disagreement and political debate - is one of the UK’s potential strengths. The BBC is surely essential for that

Rachel Reeves cannot start to blame Brexit now for her economic fix @jillongovt.bsky.social takes a closer look at why the government is talking about Brexit and the economy again www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...

Excited for this event at the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk with a great panel to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges for digital ID!

My thoughts on the recently shared Nick Timothy review for the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/shab...

Good comment from @timdurrant.bsky.social - DSIT has struggled to become the "digital centre of government" and faced a huge culture shift (it was mainly policy & science and engineering staff before GDS moved there from Cabinet Office). (1/2)

There are different forms of digital ID which different countries have launched (from a digitised ID card, to a OneLogin-type verification, to an ID giving access to services). Govt’s current path is politicised + complex. A simple vision would give a win and be less likely to maybe have hiccups…

Great thread from Rachel. I'm surprised how many people are gamely declaring this won't be that complicated to deliver bc tech/infrastructure already exists & it's 'just linking databases'. a) *some* of the infrastructure already exists & b) linking databases can, actually, be extremely complicated!

I was a delivery manager on a major data transformation project; cleaning and joining up data within one database in one department was challenging enough without the expectation of joining up journeys across many departments. Digital ID is important - but govt is not making success easy! (1/2)

I strongly recommend giving my colleague @teodorgrama.bsky.social's report on the civil service fast stream a read - there are some excellent insights into the fast stream, its history, and how it could be best reformed to help the civil service hire future leaders.

As with all coverage of the civil service internship scheme, it is important to remember: (1) It allows those on it to skip one of 2 or 3 stages of the fast stream recruitment process. Former interns then compete on an equal footing with any and all other applicants to get on the fast stream.

Think 2 big risks in No.10 shake-up are (a) more big figures & no clarity on who does what means duplicative work gumming up the system, and (b) the 'change the way the state works' bit of missions gets totally cannibalised by the 'deliver the plan for change targets' bit of missions.

What does the Darren Jones move to be first ever “chief secretary to the PM” mean for the govt? Here’s our take… www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/keir...

I am really very certain - having also seen 4 iterations of No.10 while working in the Cabinet Office - that adding more people to the centre of government is not the solution here. If the shake-up is on, it better be a proper one.

Fascinating report from my colleague @amberdellar.bsky.social today - do give it a read!

The government has filled the vacancy of PM’s AI Advisor, which Matt Clifford left in June – appointing Jade Leung, who has been CTO of the AI Security Institute since 2023. Before that, she worked at OpenAI as governance and policy advisor. (1/4) www.gov.uk/government/n...

@alexgathomas.bsky.social, @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and I respond to the Cabinet Office's announcement about the new(ish) internship scheme:

Civil service pay is another interesting story in this year's stats, with real terms pay ticking up again as expected...

Happy civil service statistics release day to all who celebrate! Lots more to come from colleagues @jackworlidge.bsky.social, @hcdunlop.bsky.social, and @alexgathomas.bsky.social, but some initial thoughts on turnover, and the possibility that churn is hiding in the stats...

Joining @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and @jackworlidge.bsky.social, looking at grades in this year's CS Stats, the growth of Grades 6/7 continues, rising 5% from 2024. All grades have continued to grow, except AO/AA. But growth is slowing - except for SCS, which grew more in 2024-25 than 2023-24. (1/2)

The Cabinet Office has announced “innovation squads” in an additional 10 locations in England as part of the government’s ‘Test, Learn and Grow’ programme for its Plan for Change – but are these small pilot initiatives getting confused? (1/5) www.gov.uk/government/n...