Secret Civil Servant

Mum, 43, working hard and helping you out every day behind the scenes. But apparently part of the Woke Blob. No, I don’t own a bowler hat.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@PolitlcsUK The problem is Number 10 North is an office building, not a residential property like Downing St, & is unsuitable for a pet. The access controls are all different and the location is shared with GCHQ, who are already deeply unhappy about the unwanted attention on their building.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@PolitlcsUK

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@CSWnews 👀

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@PoliticalPics Who was holding this btw? I know what it looks like…

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@dantomlinsonmp @PhilipProudfoot Not sure we need an AI Economics Institute to tell us the obvious truth about impact on the jobs market. What’s your opinion on it Dan? Do you think it’s a good idea for large parts of the British economy to be totally reliant on a small number of US tech firms run by sociopaths?

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@horton_official This is absolutely tragic. They should have told her the most likely outcome of the disciplinary process was a written warning. They didn’t follow the proper procedures. It’s awful. Rest in peace Chloe.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@MichaelDnes1 @NeilGarratt Nice article. Civil Service analysts & policy officials are already using AI to analyse data & help inform policymaking. We are open about when we use it & have processes in place to check outputs are correct. Question for policymakers is how do we best use tools like this?

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@100glitterstars No Cobra meetings are held via Zoom.

In fact, Zoom is not in use across the UK government IT estate, even for unclassified conversations.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

Some of the replies to this are funny. People shocked to find out there are over 100 ministers, all with a job to do.

[Politics UK @PolitlcsUK]

🚨 BREAKING: Andy Burnham's new Ministerial appointments

Anas Sarwar - Minister of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Alison McGovern - Minister of State for Health and Social Care

Sir Stephen Timms - Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Equalities)

Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Women and Equalities)

Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office and MHCLG

Dan Tomlinson - Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office and Treasury

Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury

Uma Kumaran - Foreign Office Under-Secretary and Assistant Whip

Satvir Kaur - Home Office and MHCLG Under-Secretary (Equalities)

Lord Collins of Highbury - Home Office and MHCLG Under-Secretary (Equalities)

Jo White - Home Office Under-Secretary

Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Under-Secretary

Blair McDougall - Business and Energy Security Under-Secretary

Lord Leong - Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Under-Secretary

Lord Lemos - Justice Under-Secretary

Alex Davies-Jones - Justice Under-Secretary

Polly Billington - Energy Security and Net Zero Under-Secretary

Baroness Curran - Energy Security and Net Zero Under-Secretary

Paul Waugh - Education Under-Secretary

Lilian Greenwood - Work and Pensions Under-Secretary

James Frith - Health and Social Care Under-Secretary

Jim McMahon - Housing, Communities and Local Government Under-Secretary

Baroness Blake of Leeds - Housing, Communities and Local Government Under-Secretary

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Under-Secretary

Stephen Morgan - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Under-Secretary

Justin Madders - Transport Under-Secretary

Simon Lightwood - MHCLG Under-Secretary (Equalities) and Transport Under-Secretary

Vicky Foxcroft - Culture, Media and Sport Under-Secretary

Stephanie Peacock - Culture, Media and Sport Under-Secretary

Ruth Mackenzie CBE - Culture, Media and Sport Under-Secretary

Sarah Owen - Northern Ireland Office Under-Secretary

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Northern Ireland Office Under-Secretary and Lords Deputy Chief Whip

Melanie Ward - Scotland Office Under-Secretary

Claire Hughes - Wales Office Under-Secretary and Government Whip

Gregor Poynton - Government Whip

Shaun Davies - Government Whip

Laurence Turner - Assistant Whip

Rachel Hopkins - Assistant Whip

Harpreet Uppal - Assistant Whip

Michael Wheeler - Assistant Whip

Liam Conlon - Assistant Whip

Sarah Coombes - Assistant Whip

Baroness Antrobus MBE - Government Whip

Baroness Dacres of Lewisham OBE - Government Whip

Baroness Hyde of Bemerton - Government Whip

REAPPOINTED

Torsten Bell - Treasury and Work & Pensions Parliamentary Secretary

Chris Elmore - Foreign Office Under-Secretary

Jake Richards - Justice Under-Secretary

Calvin Bailey MBE - Defence Under-Secretary

Louise Sandher-Jones - Defence Under-Secretary

Martin McCluskey - Energy Security and Net Zero Under-Secretary

Josh MacAlister OBE - Education Under-Secretary

Baroness Merron - Health and Social Care Under-Secretary

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE - Housing, Communities and Local Government Under-Secretary

Keir Mather - Transport Under-Secretary

Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Under-Secretary

Anna McMorrin - Wales Under-Secretary

Christian Wakeford - Government Whip

Jade Botterill - Government Whip

Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Government Whip

Lord Katz MBE - Government Whip

Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath - Government Whip

Chris Ward, Seema Malhotra, Natalie Fleet, Mike Tapp, Catherine Atkinson, Olivia Bailey, Preet Kaur Gill, Sharon Hodgson, Nesil Caliskan, Samantha Dixon MBE, Mary Creagh, Matthew Patrick, Baroness Levitt KC, Baroness Wheeler MBE, Deirdre Costigan, Taiwo Owatemi and Imogen Walker have all left Government

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@overlyannoyingx @PolitlcsUK There’s 122 ministers and they all have a full time job working to do things for you.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@GrahamCompton @PolitlcsUK There’s usually around 120 ministers across 24 ministerial departments. They all have quite large portfolios of work. It’s a full-time job.

Junior ministers get £22k on top of MP salary
Minister of State £32k
Secretary of State £67k

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@rabindraX238 @PolitlcsUK Unfortunately restructuring departments is not easy. It’s costly, time-consuming and prevents staff from getting on with the actual job.

[Startup Coalition @StartupCltn]

In recent days, there have been strong rumours that the new administration will abolish @SciTechgovuk and scatter tech across Whitehall.

We've written to Andy Burnham with @techUK to say this is the wrong move at the wrong time.

Read our letter here 👇

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

https://t.co/Ajk0MU08rk

[Rowland Manthorpe @rowlsmanthorpe]

Reliably informed that the decision to scrap DSIT originated in the Cabinet Office, where Antonia Romeo wants to have control over AI - although of course it was signed off by Team Burnham, who don't see AI as a major priority

Apparently this goes right back to Starmer's decision to move GDS away from the Cabinet Office and into DSIT

Not just the politicians who play politics

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

Colleagues tell me DSIT staff are furious with Burnham and his advisors for developing plans to scrap @SciTechgovuk. They are just completing a successful three year programme setting up the new dept & now all that work looks like it’s gone for a burton.

https://t.co/OWSr6uVeuF

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

Scrapping of DSIT now confirmed. Several old colleagues have been in touch about it and it’s fair to say they are apoplectic.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@FDAGenSec https://t.co/XhZ1SxHDWM

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

Colleagues tell me DSIT staff are furious with Burnham and his advisors for developing plans to scrap @SciTechgovuk. They are just completing a successful three year programme setting up the new dept & now all that work looks like it’s gone for a burton.

https://t.co/OWSr6uVeuF

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@s8mb @dc_lawrence You seem to be under the impression that prime ministers are only able to deliver one policy at a time.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@declassifiedUK @LauraPidcock He was elected as an MP, same as all Prime Ministers.

[Secret Civil Servant @Secretcivilserv]

@jonathancmunro @hzeffman @BBCNews @BBCr4today @BBCWorldatOne Very sad. Heard his voice every morning for many years.