Alex Thomas

Civil service and all things effective government @instituteforgov - ex-Cabinet Office, Defra, Dept of Health civil servant

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

(Until tonight I have not posted on Twitter for a long time. And my life has not been materially worse. Let’s see whether it’s worth re-engaging)

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Serving civil servants giving their views like this to a political party not in government makes me feel very uncomfortable

But good luck to Danny Kruger as he works out what to do to fix the centre of govt. He’s wrong and right in different ways

https://t.co/OaXY99sTXI

[Danny Kruger @danny__kruger]

Last weekend I set out Reform UK’s plans to fix the centre of government (https://t.co/cqWFdSPutf). This policy was informed by hundreds of disillusioned civil servants responding to my call for insights on life in Whitehall. This is some of what they said. Thread:

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Here’s our view on his plans

https://t.co/OaXY99sTXI

[Joe Hill @jo3hill]

🧵Always enjoy reading @instituteforgov's Whitehall Monitor.

All change in Westminster this year, but in Whitehall? Not so much. It just goes to show there's nothing new under the sun. Some things which struck me:

[Institute for Government @instituteforgov]

Whitehall Monitor 2025, our annual data-driven stocktake of the civil service, is out today.

It examines the civil service that Starmer’s government inherited – and how Labour’s mission-led approach fits in with Whitehall’s ways of working https://t.co/d1mKFPZH7R

[Institute for Government @instituteforgov]

PODCAST 🎙️ Appetite for disruption

@jesstud joins @DrHannahWhite @AlexGAThomas
@tompope0 to discuss Pat McFadden's public sector plans.

Plus: Rachel Reeves hunt for efficiency savings and
@cassia_rowland discusses fixing the prisons crisis
https://t.co/tFxocS4nMS

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Overall looks like a good move - slimming down & refocusing the Cabinet Office. Chimes with the critique in our Centre Commission - though we’d go further!

The “odds and ends” are v important and must be done well, but separating them out is worth it for a more effective centre

[Lucy Fisher @LOS_Fisher]

EXCL: Cabinet Office will cut 400 jobs to achieve savings & streamline dept

Perm sec Cat Little unveiled plans to officials today, incl proposals to hive off some “odds & ends” to separate arm’s length body

This may include security vetting, govt property agency, recruitment

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

@griffitha @HenryNewman Thank you for coming back on it Andrew - yes to the above, and doing it in the context of budget targets, and (if it’s what ministers want) a smaller civil service. But I do think numerical headcount targets just create all the wrong incentives. So to that extent it is either/or

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

I agree with @HenryNewman

[Andrew Griffith MP @griffitha]

To get the civil service back to its 2016 level would require a reduction of 133,000.

Instead Labour claim to be contemplating cutting just 10,000 heads.

That would maintain 98% of current levels and still be 34% larger than in 2016.
😱

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

@CarlNewns @jillongovt @HenryNewman And the good news is that Henry is the deputy chief of staff to the Leader of the Opposition - so we can expect sensible discussion about this from here on in

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

@GavinBarwell @OliverKamm Yes - a paper I wrote a couple of years ago here. Our best estimate was about half the growth was Brexit related

https://t.co/Tdh1tklncD

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

And @rowenamason story here

https://t.co/Kn7I0FHPHJ

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Whether the civil service gets smaller or not, the government needs a full workforce strategy - to which they’ve now committed 👍👍👍

And it’s good if ministers seek efficiencies without setting a perverse-incentive-creating headcount target

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Cuts will (even should) reduce numbers but crude headcount targets have not worked

I wrote more about how to cut the civil service here

https://t.co/Tdh1tkkPn5

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Nothing less than the complete rewiring of the British state, in fact

https://t.co/YgjZaRi6Oj

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

JOB ALERT

We have a fantastic researcher role coming up in the @instituteforgov civil service team

If you’re interested please consider applying. It’s a brilliant place to work and to contribute to a vital set of debates

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Thoughts on today’s Pat McFadden speech - @nehal_davison and me

https://t.co/i3vkxnlU6a

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

Britain’s civil service, which employs half a million people, is both demoralised and in need of radical reform https://t.co/sPsJ63q5wH 👇

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

https://t.co/kBeFscYgUn

[Alex Thomas @AlexGAThomas]

Our @instituteforgov reaction to today’s Plan for Change

A positive development, but challenges ahead on targets/milestones, including about the money

And a shot across the bows for the civil service