Leadership

The civil service has taken a battering – but could Sir Humphrey’s time be about to come again?

Exclusive: Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood sets out revised Talent Action Plan after 'worrying' government-commissioned reports on LGBT, BME and disability representation in the civil service

Report by former Stonewall chief executive, commissioned by the Cabinet Office, says many LGBT staff feel 'pressured to fit into a conventional mould'

SCS requirement for 'supreme flexibility' in working is holding back disabled civil servants, one of three government-commissioned reports on diversity finds

A former police call centre worker tells Freya Pascall about the pressures – exacerbated by central government – that led to their resignation. Illustration by John Levers

 The next government must build on existing Whitehall reforms if it wants to avoid mid-term failures, says think tank the Institute for Government

GDS's Mike Bracken appointed to new chief data officer role aiming to improve Whitehall's use of data

From the homeless and crime victims to the abused children of Rotherham, Louise Casey has spent her career fighting for society’s most vulnerable. Sarah Aston meets her. Photos by Tal Cohen

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude confirms that Standard Life's Sir Gerry Grimstone will review work of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments

Amid the furore around HSBC's Swiss operations, FDA general secretary Dave Penman says we should remember that HMRC has had to prioritise in the face of budget cuts

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, who is stepping down as an MP in May, tells Sky News there is a 'huge amount' of work left to do

There's an end-of-term feeling in Whitehall, writes Jane Dudman, as the civil service gears up for the election

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee warn commercial skills gap at Defence Equipment and Support will undermine MoD efforts to reduce costs if not addressed

With the defence budget becoming ever more contentious, the MoD’s permanent secretary Jon Thompson must continue to balance spending decisions with national security. It’s a tough job – but one he’s privileged to do, he tells Jess Bowie. Photos by Paul Heartfield

Downing Street spokesperson says David Cameron disagrees with unions' view that civil service code change will undermine transparency

Some Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) civil servants believe Whitehall prejudice is acting as a brake on career progression, exclusive survey reveals

Former Royal Mail managing director Mark Thomson to become director general of Passport Office for three-year term

Departments tell National Audit Office cross-government working would be bolstered by better 'support and challenge' at the centre of government

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude hails £26m-a-year facility-time savings, but Labour's Lucy Powell goes on the attack

Public Administration Select Committee urges greater role for Cabinet Office in planning for the future and ending departmental duplication

Whitehall should be prepared to take responsibility for delivering programmes, says Troubled Families chief Louise Casey

CSW asked Conservative MP and former children's minister Tim Loughton to appraise the UK civil service

MoD and NHS England handed fines over workers paid through service companies