Minister Urges Government to Adopt Start-up Mindset

A cabinet minister has called for “disrupters” to join the civil service, aiming for the government to “think a little bit more like a start-up”. Pat McFadden, who holds responsibility for the Cabinet Office, indicated that officials need a stronger “appetite for risk” to enhance the delivery of public services. In a speech, he expressed his desire for Whitehall to emulate the “test and learn culture” found in leading technology companies. He affirmed that he was not criticizing civil servants themselves, following a recent controversy over remarks made by Sir Keir Starmer last week. A civil service union boss had accused the prime minister of using “Trumpian language” after the prime minister stated that too many officials were “comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline”. Sir Keir’s address reflected frustrations that some within government have privately voiced regarding the civil service’s effectiveness. However, in a speech delivered in east London, McFadden adopted a more conciliatory stance, observing that civil servants themselves were “frustrated” by how government operates. He added, “The people are good, but the systems and structures that they work in are too often outdated.” Nevertheless, he also stated his wish to see an overhaul of civil service recruitment processes to encourage external applicants. Referencing a high-profile appeal from Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings for “weirdos and misfits” to enter government, McFadden said he wanted more “creative thinkers” to tackle policy problems. He further stated, “Whatever term you want to use, we do want innovators and disrupters and original thinkers.” This, he noted, included reforming a recruitment process that can appear “mind-bogglingly bureaucratic and off-putting” to those outside. His department has confirmed a third round of recruitment for a program that encourages tech workers to join the civil service for secondments lasting between six months to a year. Under the Innovation Fellowship Programme, which was established by the previous Conservative government, recruits receive a salary of up to £85,000 to help identify technology-based solutions for challenges in public service delivery. However, he acknowledged that public service pay limitations would likely present a “challenge” when attempting to attract new recruits from tech companies. He conceded, “Many of the people probably could earn more working in the private sector, so we are appealing to their sense of public service.” The cabinet minister also expressed his desire for increased adoption of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to improve public services – a commitment also made by the previous government. While the Conservatives framed technology as a method to reduce the size of the civil service, McFadden stated he did not have a “target for headcount” and his “focus” was on increasing officials’ productivity. He also confirmed details of two projects designed to test a new model involving “test and learn teams” to discover “innovative ways to fix problems”. Two initial pilot programs, set to begin in January, will involve officials working to improve the provision of temporary accommodation for homeless families in Essex and Liverpool, and enhancing family support services in Manchester and South Yorkshire. The model will subsequently be deployed to assist the government in achieving new “milestones” outlined by the prime minister last week, including eliminating hospital backlogs and improving neighbourhood policing. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Richard Holden asserted that Labour would “swell the size and cost of the state,” adding that the party had opposed Tory plans before the election to reduce the civil service to pre-Brexit levels. He added, “Labour ministers talk tough, but from bitter experience we know that’s all it is – glib platitudes and broken promises with British taxpayers picking up the bill.”