Economy

Senior officials past and present react to draft first-phase divorce agreement between UK and EU

 Public Accounts Committee criticises departments' “business as usual” assumption for 2019 and berates pace of pan-Whitehall Border Planning Group 

NAO report calls on the government to ensure regulatory reforms can improve student perceptions of value for money

Tax agency has signed a 25-year lease on London office for 3,800 staff

Infrastructure and Projects Authority says new team will be created to ensure costs and schedules of major schemes are achievable

NI Audit Office says government is not delivering value for money on its ageing and inefficient office estate

New directors general roles announced after DIT expands by 1,000 staff in a year

Two parliamentary reports highlight problems at Irish border and frustration at perceived Whitehall “power grab”

Department leads on over one-fifth of the cross-Whitehall projects that need to be implemented for EU exit, according to auditors

Health and education departments first to benefit from ‘confidence and supply’ agreement

When facing a policy puzzle, civil servants shouldn’t see trade associations as adversaries. As former trade body chair Sir Mark Boleat explains, they can be a useful resource for the savvy official

Policy Institute warns that current Whitehall structures "lack of strategic thinking and leadership" to implement the industrial strategy