It is not only secretaries of state who are looking over their shoulders and polishing CVs in Westminster. A significant reshuffle of permanent secretaries is on, and who gets appointed to these top jobs will shape Whitehall departments for many years to come.
The prime minister has expressed frustration with the civil service and the pace of change in government. Sweeping movement at the top of Whitehall does not happen often, so this is a chance for Keir Starmer – with the cabinet secretary – to appoint the civil servants who will help deliver his ambition to “rewire the state”. The PM, and his ministers, will have only themselves to blame if they end up with appointees with whom they are not satisfied.
A civil service merry-go-round often happens after a change of government
Samantha Jones, formerly of the NHS and No1.0, has taken the vacancy left at the Department of Health and Social Care by Chris Wormald when he became cabinet secretary. But there are plenty of permanent secretary jobs waiting to be filled.
Antonia Romeo has moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Home Office, leaving a big job empty, and moves or exits have been announced or are expected in other departments. The departures of Tamara Finkelstein and Bernadette Kelly, who are both leaving the civil service after long spells at the top, create vacancies at Defra and the Department for Transport, while Sarah Munby is stepping down at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. There are likely to be retirements, managed moves or other changes in at least a couple of other major areas.
There is nothing particularly unusual about a permanent secretary refresh, especially after a change of government. Some senior officials will have postponed planned moves or retirements to help manage the transition. Others may have found the chemistry does not work with their new ministers, or that they just want to pursue other opportunities.
"The appointments the government makes – and the rumours about who doesn’t make it – will send signals down the civil service about the kind of skills and experience that get rewarded"
The new appointments will tell us who is on the up in the civil service. They will give an insight into how the (still relatively new) cabinet secretary Chris Wormald wants to lead the institution, and the faces that fit with new Labour secretaries of state. Whether the appointments are from inside the civil service, or outsiders who will quickly need to learn how government works, will also be telling. And the appointments the government makes – and the rumours about who doesn’t make it – will send signals down the civil service about the kind of skills and experience that get rewarded.
This is a chance for ministers to make their mark on the civil service
It will be essential for departmental secretaries of state – as well as the prime minister – to remember that they have agency in this process. The system is designed to preserve civil service impartiality while allowing ministers to shape permanent secretary job descriptions and to feed in views on candidates. It is the prime minister, after all, who has the final pick from a shortlist of appointable candidates.
Ministerial criteria for influencing appointments should not, in the British system, be anything to do with political alignment or partisan considerations. But they need to ensure that successful candidates understand, are willing and are able to pursue the government’s policy agenda, while also having the confidence and authority to give tough and sometimes unwelcome advice. A permanent secretary refresh is a moment of opportunity for ministers to shape Whitehall’s leadership.
The civil service needs to promote people who will inject creativity and energy
At a time when the civil service is cutting jobs and facing a difficult Spending Review outcome, changed leadership can add to the turbulence, mean a loss of expertise and create new relationships that are no better – or worse – than the old ones. But in this case the opportunities outweigh the challenges. There is a mood of frustration around government, with ministers expecting more energy, creativity and action from their civil servants, while the civil service looks to politicians to provide more policy direction.
"There is a mood of frustration around government, with ministers expecting more energy, creativity and action from their civil servants, while the civil service looks to politicians to provide more policy direction"
New ministers understandably needed time to work out what they wanted from their civil service leaders, but they should know now just how important strong senior officials can be, and have confidence in their appointments. New permanent secretaries should be given a mandate to be active champions of innovative policies and different ways to run their departments. Ministers should be explicit that they want the senior civil service to promote change, not just internally but through pitching policy ideas that push boundaries and test ministerial risk appetites.
It will always be the appointment of ministers that hits the headlines. But the decisions being made right now about civil service leadership will also be consequential. A new generation of government leaders will shape the capability and health of the civil service for a long time to come – this is the moment to make sure the right ones make the grade.
Alex Thomas is a programme director at the Institute for Government, where this article first appeared. He leads the IfG's work on the civil service