Tim Durrant
Former Programme Director
Tim's recent work
All work
The new ‘minister for the vaccine’ needs clear responsibilities and remits
Like so many other of the government’s Covid announcements, Nadhim Zahawi’s appointment adds to the confusing mess of responsibilities
Amber Rudd
Amber Rudd reflects on her time working with three different prime ministers, the implications of the EU referendum and resigning as home secretary.
Three reshuffle questions for the prime minister
Tim Durrant sets out the questions Boris Johnson should be asking as he weighs up his options for a ministerial reshuffle
No.10 should give up its control of special advisers
After Dominic Cummings’s departure, advisers should once again report directly to their secretary of state not Downing Street
Jeremy Wright
Jeremy Wright reflects on giving legal advice to government, the styles of different PMs and the importance of DCMS as an economic department.
Special advisers and the Johnson government
How Boris Johnson's changes to the role of special advisers disempowered ministers and undermined the quality of decision making in government.
The new FCDO needs to show it can do both parts of its job well
There is still a long way to go before we know how the new FCDO will manage both aid and diplomacy
The prime minister needs to clarify whether he still believes in ministerial accountability
The government’s actions are calling into question the principle that UK ministers are held to account for the performance of the department they over
Special advisers with greater powers also require greater scrutiny
If the trend of giving special advisers new responsibilities continues, ministers cannot complain when their advisers face greater scrutiny
The prime minister failed to answer the most important questions about merging the FCO and DfID
The prime minister’s announcement that the Department for International Development will be folded into the Foreign Office raises more questions than