A re-energised civil service must not forget that tougher times are ahead

The reset in relationships between ministers and civil servants, for which we at the Institute for Government have long been arguing, has arrived. Keir Starmer’s first message to the civil service was that “I want you to know that you have my confidence, my support and, importantly, my respect”.

This is good news. But it would be easy for civil servants to get carried away in the excitement of a new government. When the work gets harder, and relationships scratchier, it is mutual professional respect that will keep the government and the civil service on course.

A co-ordinated reset of minister-civil service relationships is very good news

But first to the welcome tonal reset. Other ministers echoed Starmer’s message. Health secretary Wes Streeting has said he wants challenge from officials. Deputy PM Angela Rayner reassured her department that there would be no Jacob Rees-Mogg style notes left on desks, and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told his team that he did not care what lanyards they might wear (after Esther McVey – sort of – banned rainbow pass straps from her department).

Perhaps the best speech came from education secretary Bridget Phillipson, hoping that her department was a place where “your commitment, your contribution, the difference that you make every day is central to everything that we do”.

The reset is real, clearly mandated from the centre, and it matters. There were competent, respectful Conservative ministers getting on with the job in the last government. But they were overshadowed by their louder and more combative colleagues. That created an environment of antagonism that served nobody well – not least citizens who deserve effective government.

Calm professionalism is needed during political inflection points

But while civil servants should enjoy the energy and new challenges that come with a change of government, they should not forget that this is also a moment of risk. Inflection points are when inappropriate or misjudged patterns of behaviour can set in and the seeds of future problems get planted, and things will get harder over time – mistakes will be made, projects will fail, the media will become more critical and the weight and slog of government will set in.

To set things on the right path the civil service needs to hit a serious, professional tone, emphasising calm good judgement. Passion and enthusiasm are good, but civil servants need to avoid any sense of being partisan, in private as well as in public.  

The new government will, inevitably, be looking to score points by bemoaning its inheritance and the actions of its predecessors. That makes it even more important that the civil service stays clear of any criticism of the previous government, as has started to bleed out for example on the Rwanda policy. This is against the rules of impartiality and will confirm the narrative of earlier ministers that it was the civil service that caused their policies to fail. It is also counter-productive with new ministers. If a civil servant starts condemning previous policy the first thought in a new minister’s mind will be about what the civil service might say to curry favour after their time in office too comes to a close.

Senior officials also need to agree new standards for government communications, based around information and facts, not vibes and political messaging. This will come from the top, and the leadership of the civil service needs to be wise to this risk and to set consistent standards across departments.

There should be absolutely no leaks. Permanent secretaries need a zero tolerance policy towards unauthorised leaks or briefings, or anonymous articles praising or criticising past or current ministers. Civil servants must resist the siren calls of journalists on social media whose “DMs are open”. Journalists are only doing their job – but civil servants have to do theirs. Leaks from the civil service, as well as being against their code of conduct, are far more corrosive to trust inside government than those from ministers or special advisers. This moment of opportunity and reset will fade to recrimination and distrust if ministers think their departments are information colanders.

Give the best advice and be honest about capability gaps

The focus should be on policy delivery and on giving the best advice, even if it is unwelcome. Officials should take Streeting’s invitation at face value and present the strongest evidence, the most compelling arguments and their best judgement. They should be aware of the political and policy context of the new government, having absorbed its objectives, but not be bound by it. There may be a better route to the same policy end, and the civil service’s job is to help ministers find it.

This is a time to be honest with new ministers about the things civil service teams are good at, and things they are not, with ministers brought along with the project of improving and building capability in the areas needed to deliver the new government’s programme. Papering over deficiencies will just mean new ministers spot and get frustrated by the gaps.  

The Labour government has clearly thought about its relationship with the civil service. Keir Starmer’s hope that “together, as one team, we can deliver our mission” is a huge opportunity. It should not be wasted.