A former cabinet secretary suggests that prime ministers enroll their cabinet members in a school of government to enhance strategic thinking in Whitehall, rather than constantly rotating them.
Mark Sedwill, who ran the civil service for Boris Johnson and Theresa May, said effective government needed “longevity of personnel”, rather than a stream of new ministers without expertise in their portfolios.
In an address to a governmental panel regarding strategic planning, Sedwill denounced the habit of constantly starting from scratch and disregarding previous progress every time new officials take office.
Sedwill pointed out that politicians often use media announcements to gain attention and appear productive in governance. This is due to the pressure caused by the “grid phenomenon”. He also noted that these announcements are usually not well-considered, short-sighted, and may not align with existing policies.
In recent years, there has been a significant amount of change in leadership within various departments. After a large number of resignations, Johnson named a number of new ministers, and during her brief time in Downing Street, Liz Truss also had a group of ministers who did not stay long.
Sedwill suggested that any incoming prime minister should carefully select and adequately prepare their ministers, and allow them to remain in their positions for as long as possible.”
He said the UK appeared to “rotate ministers faster than elsewhere” and had a cabinet twice as big as that of the US president, with many top ministers not having any expertise in their area when they start the job.
The ex-high-ranking public servant favored establishing a school of government on its own premises, where promising individuals in politics and government could connect and socialize.
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When asked about how to improve the strategic thinking abilities of ministers, he responded, “We should simply teach them. Currently, we do not educate ministers on the workings of government – they are expected to learn on their own.”
Political abilities are essential for a minister, however they are not the sole abilities required for a truly effective minister. Governance skills are also necessary, but they do not come naturally and must be taught.
“We do not provide training for ministers, however, it is necessary to give them sufficient time to develop strategic thinking skills if that is the goal.”
In 2021, Johnson stated his plans to “provide training for civil servants and ministers, incorporating strict standards for online education and the establishment of a new physical campus.”
As of 2020, there is a training program called “government campus” that offers online and in-person courses for civil servants. This includes a Leadership College for Government.
Unfortunately, there is currently no alternative for the National School of Government, which was shut down during the coalition in 2012. This school served as a permanent location for government training.
On Tuesday, Sedwill provided testimony as part of the investigation into the government’s strategic planning, which was initiated by the liaison committee. This committee is composed of chairs from select committees and is responsible for holding the prime minister responsible.
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According to written testimony given to the committee, Sir David Omand, the former director of GCHQ, recommended that the government stop using WhatsApp to handle crises. He stated that while the platform may be suitable for casual conversations and gossip, it is not appropriate for making important decisions.
Omand, who ran the UK intelligence service before becoming the permanent secretary of the Home Office and the Cabinet Office, criticised the way government was conducted in the pandemic and said future crises should be handled with “proper process”.
According to his testimony, government ministers and officials frequently partake in casual conversations and informal interactions during cabinet meetings as a way to release tension when there is a lot of pressure.
According to the speaker, it is logical that WhatsApp messages served a similar purpose during lockdowns where in-person interactions were limited. However, based on the information revealed in the Covid-19 investigation, these conversations (excluding the reprehensible misogyny) had evolved into the primary method for achieving certain results, rather than simply sharing general sentiments.
The reasoning behind using Covid as justification is now irrelevant, if it ever was valid. It is crucial to establish a sound decision-making procedure in order to weather a crisis successfully.
He stated that it is not worth focusing on finding strategic opportunities and threats if there is no proper method for evaluating decisions and adjusting them based on strategic objectives when it is time to take action.
Source: theguardian.com
