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 should do next.

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.

This paper examines the skills that the civil service has and those it needs to meet the demands of government in the coming years. It considers how the civil service workforce is managed, and reviews progress made in recent years.

As the United Kingdom hits the anniversary of the first national lockdown, this report sets out 10 lessons that government should learn from its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.