Ministers reflect on the civil service

The ministerial–civil service relationship has been strained in recent years. This paper, part of the Ministers Reflect series, draws on interviews with former ministers to examine how that relationship has changed, why this matters and – with the new cabinet secretary, Antonia Romeo, marking her 100th day in the role – how current ministers should use this moment to set the conditions for improved relations. 

This is especially important given Labour’s 2024 election promise to reset relations with the civil service has been thrown off course, first by the prime minister’s accusations of too many officials ‘wallowing in the tepid bath of decline’ and more recently by the Peter Mandelson scandal and sacking of FCDO permanent secretary Sir Olly Robbins.

The report looks closely at how ministers can get the best out of the civil service, including by communicating their preferences and priorities clearly. It also examines ministers’ frustrations with what they view as a slow-paced, risk-averse civil service – but argues that ministers set the conditions within which the civil service operates.