Conservative peer Francis Maude, former Cabinet Office minister, is considering radical plans to reform Whitehall after the resignation of Dominic Raab. The former Foreign Secretary resigned amid allegations of bullying officials he believed had underperformed. Lord Maude believes that drastic change is necessary to prevent further crises between ministers and civil servants.
In light of these events, Maude has called for more "politicisation" within Whitehall, suggesting that ministers should be given increased power to appoint their own officials. He argues that this would allow them to better drive policies forward and deliver on their political objectives. Furthermore, he notes the value in conducting regular external audits by qualified outsiders with published results.
Lord Maude said: "The current system needs to be less 'mealy-mouthed' about politicization following Raab's resignation." Additionally, he stated that permanent civil servants often have overt political affiliations which rarely cause problems.
However, not everyone agrees with Lord Maude's proposed reforms. Tory MPs have accused Chancellor Rishi Sunak of betrayal over the handling of the Raab scandal. Meanwhile, Lord McDonald – who served as permanent secretary at the Foreign Office for five years – denies any civil service agenda against Mr. Raab.
"There was no such agenda," said Lord McDonald in response to accusations made by Dominic Raab about civil service "activists" working against him during his tenure as Foreign Secretary. Instead, McDonald points out that Mr. Raab's behavior has been detrimental overall: "Mr. Raab's conduct did not benefit anyone."
As debates continue over the future relationship between ministers and civil servants in Whitehall following Dominic Raab’s departure from office; it remains uncertain what final shape any potential reforms may take or how they will impact government operations moving forward.