News

Behind some of the dubious and downright dishonest claims in the debate over Britain's place in the EU is a belief that government is easy. This is nonsense

HMRC asks for access to the Panama Papers offshore leaks and vows to "relentlessly pursue" wrongdoing – but tax expert Richard Murphy says department "just hasn’t got the resources"

From the editor: Iain Duncan Smith's resignation highlights the sheer power of the Treasury under George Osborne

International Development permanent secretary Mark Lowcock tells CSW that asking other departments to take on aid commitments won't undermine DfID's mission — and says some of his staff have been poached for their expertise

Malcolm McKibbin tells staff 17-month embargo on new hires is over, after around 3,000 staff quit service via Voluntary Exit Scheme

Statistics show the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s consular service took around half a million calls over the past 12 months, some of them far from genuine emergencies

Department for International Development permanent secretary tells CSW about efforts to provide a "rigorous analytical framework" for measuring international civil service performance

Director general Mary Calam to leave civil service after more than two decades, with Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism's Paul Lincoln taking on the job

Microsoft looks at how digital technology can improve firefighter safety 

GDS has been a game-changer for the UK. But Joshua Chambers asks whether the big fish will survive without finding fresh feeding grounds

MPs says there is concern over FCO's focus in spite of boost for human rights spending – but the department says human rights will "always be a central part of our diplomacy"

PHSO says Dr Bill Kirkup will lead investigations into most serious and complex cases brought before the public services watchdog

Chairman of the cross-party Liaison Committee writes to David Cameron to say he believes referendum rules for civil servants take too much power from pro-Brexit ministers

Bishop to lead body which regulates civil service appointments

Second perm sec to announce he is leaving the civil service after vying for top Treasury job

Move designed to allow public sector buyers to complete existing procurements before the switch

Cyber Security Operations Centre to focus on protecting the Ministry of Defence's own networks from attack

Communities and Local Government Committee says local authorities "must be able to have confidence in the effective operation" of the framework drawn up by central government to guide development decisions

The civil service has always had great people, argues former senior Cabinet Office official Andrew Greenway – but it must get better at valuing trust over hierarchy

Radical plan set to ease long-standing tensions between the culture department and the MoD

Bernard Jenkin says his Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee needs more time to scrutinise the government's choice for public appointments watchdog – and the government has yet to name its preferred candidate for the civil service equivalent

Jane Marriott, previously director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, is to head up a new counter-terror unit

As the Treasury's permanent Nick Macpherson this week departs the civil service after more than a decade as the department's most senior official, here's our full conversation with his former boss as chancellor, Alistair Darling – who worked with Macpherson as the Treasury grappled with the 2007-8 global economic crisis

Decade-long IT contract – underpinning £500bn in tax revenue – to come to an early end