This report recognises the UK civil service’s vital role, but warns that it has been weakened by high-profile policy and operational failures, like the Kabul evacuation and pandemic contingency plans, and damaged by the Downing Street 'partygate' fallout.

The civil service is central to government in the United Kingdom. But it lacks a clear identity, defined responsibilities and a system of oversight and accountability. This report proposes a new statutory role for the civil service to reflect its permanence, values and objectives, and...

Successive governments have struggled to tackle many of the biggest policy problems the country faces. This report examines the causes of persistent failures and sets out recommendations as to how government – both ministers and officials – could change to make policy better.

In his seven hours of testimony to a House of Commons committee, the UK Prime Minister’s former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, laid out a portrait of a chaotic government failing in its basic functions. This report sets out some recommendations for what the UK government...

This report calls for new rules to extend the prohibition on former cabinet ministers lobbying government, new enforcement powers to ensure ministerial rules are followed, and greater transparency surrounding the outside interests of civil servants.