"We do want innovators and disruptors": Cabinet minister channels Dominic Cummings in speech on Civil Service reform

Civil servants offered a carrot to go with the PM's stick

Sky political editor Beth Rigby was with Pat McFadden as the minister outlined Labour's plans to change the Civil Service.

This included a desire to make government bureaucracy act more like a start-up.

Beth says: "I've heard the speech repeatedly, from different governments and different ministers.

"Every person seems to come into government and say this is what they need to do - some reform."

She adds it seemed a bit like civil servants were being offered a carrot and stick - with Mr McFadden offering the carrot today, after the prime minister offered the stick last week.

A reminder Sir Keir Starmer accused "too many people in Whitehall" of being "comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".

'Not the sexiest of subjects'

Beth notes it was also interesting Mr McFadden mentioned Dominic Cummings, the ex-adviser to Boris Johnson, who called for "weirdos and misfits" to join the Civil Service.

While Mr McFadden used different language - "innovators and disruptors" - Beth says he "certainly wants those types of people".

Mr Cummings' attempts ended in controversy after he hired a man who was later sacked after comments on eugenics, mind-enhancing drugs for children, FGM and women's sport were uncovered.

Beth says many governments have "tried to innovate" and Labour are doing this to try to hit the targets Sir Keir has set himself.

She reckons there will be more speeches on the subject to come - despite it not being the "sexiest of subjects".

Will the Civil Service be smaller by the end of Labour's government?

Sky political editor Beth Rigby asks Pat McFadden if Labour wants to cut the size of the Civil Service.

The minister says he does not see the bureaucracy shrinking - but that innovations like AI could help make the service more efficient, allowing civil servants to focus more time on other areas.

Beth also asked if Mr McFadden agreed with Sir Keir Starmer - who accused "too many people in Whitehall" of being "comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".

Mr McFadden says that both he and the PM are focused on improving the "structures" and "systems" rather than attacking people.

Elsewhere, Mr McFadden says he is "not expecting" a job application from Dominic Cummings, after previously quoting the former Downing Street chief of staff.

And with that, the speech and the Q&A are over.

Minister plays down suggestion reform is attack on civil servants

Speaking in East London, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden is outlining Labour's plans to reform the Civil Service.

He distances himself from attempts of reform by the last government, saying he is not interested in "lanyards" or "culture wars".

The minister says that the people in the Civil Service are "good" - but the systems and structures they work in are often "outdated".

Mr McFadden then invokes the names of Spotify, Airbnb and WhatsApp as examples of a mindset that can be used to copy to innovate in the Civil Service.

He also praises, as an example of the way the service can innovate, the improvements in the passport office recently.

This involved a more agile approach and rapid improvements, first achieved on a small-scale trial. 

Mr McFadden says this is the "start-up mindset" he wants to channel - announcing trials of a similar format in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Essex on accommodation and supporting families.

Channelling Dominic Cummings

Central government will not prescribe the solution, but just ask for improvement, Mr McFadden says.

The minister acknowledges that such an approach will lead to failures - but being "terrified of failure" will mean things will never change and improve.

He then channels Dominic Cummings - saying that appealing to "weirdos and misfits", or as they are now called under Labour, "innovators and disrupters", is part of the government's strategy.

"This is your chance to serve your country," Mr McFadden says.

He then winds up his speech by saying the UK should be harnessing the power of AI - and it is an exciting time to be in government on the verge of such change.

Starmer meeting with president of United Arab Emirates

As we have already mentioned Sir Keir Starmer is in the Middle East on a trip to speak to both the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The UAE was the first stop on the trip, and Sir Keir has now met with the nations's president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Known as MBZ, he is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

The trip was organised before the collapse of the Syrian Assad regime, and was nominally about trade and economic ties.

However, the unrest in the region will undoubtedly come up in the discussions the prime minister has.

Starmer visits mosque in UAE

Sir Keir Starmer has been in the United Arab Emirates overnight UK time, and is set to depart for Saudi Arabia later on during his trip to the Middle East.

Photos show that he has visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, alongside the temple's director general, Yousif Alobaidli.

Labour urged to 'focus' on absence as 'up to 300,000 children missing from school last year'

A Tory frontbencher is urging the government to "focus" on pupil absence after a report found as many as 300,000 children were missing from education in England last year.

Figures from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) - which compare GP registrations with school enrolment data - mark a 40% increase in unaccounted absences since 2017.

More than 50,000 students were also found to have left the state education system by Year 11, with no clear records explaining their exits.

Reacting to this, shadow education secretary Laura Trott has urged the government to shift its focus to pupil absence.

She told Sky News: "Pupil absence is the most important thing for the Department for Education (DfE) to focus on at the moment - not cancelling new schools, diluting the academic curriculum and spending acres of civil service time on a VAT rise that will add pressure to state schools.

"We must get children back to the classroom."

Mass exodus of Tories to Reform 'overblown'

Matt Vickers, a shadow Home Office minister, is speaking to Kay Burley on behalf of the Conservatives this morning.

He is asked about the reports of the weekend that Senior Conservative Suella Braverman's husband has abandoned the Tories and switched to Reform. 

There have been rumours Ms Braverman herself might join Nigel Farage's party ever since her attempt to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader failed at the first hurdle.

Mr Vickers says Mr Braverman's defection is "small fry in the grand scheme of things".

He adds that Andrea Jenkyns, another former Conservative minister, is a "good friend" of his and "nobody was really surprised" when she joined Reform.

"There are always people who will make these decisions," he says.

"But I think the thought that this is a mass exodus to reform is slightly overblown, really."

Reeves looking for closer relationship with Europe to grow UK economy

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is in Brussels today to meet her European counterparts.

She is the first UK Treasury chief to do so since Brexit, as previous Conservative governments did not want to engage with the continent following the leave vote.

But Ms Reeves will say in a speech today that - while the relationship between the UK and EU has been "fractious" recently - the "division and chaos" that defined Westminster in the past will "not define" Labour.

Her speech will focus on three areas - tacking shared challenges like Ukraine, championing free speech and strengthening economic partnerships.

While the government has ruled out returning to the single market, the customs union, and freedom of movement, the chancellor will say that a closer economic relationship between the UK and the EU is "not a zero-sum game".

"It's about improving both our growth prospects," she will add.

Ms Reeves will say: "The reset in relations is about doing what is in the best interests of our shared economies and those that depend on it.

"That means breaking down barriers to trade, creating opportunities to invest and helping our businesses sell in each other's markets.

"That's why I'm here today; that's what our reset seeks to achieve."

Unsurprisingly, the Conservatives are unimpressed with the trip, and call for Ms Reeves to focus on doing a deal with the US and Donald Trump instead.

Britain holds its breath on Syria

Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard share their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes.

The Assad regime's 50-year rule in Syria has ended, leaving a region on edge. Jack and Sam unpack what this means for global geopolitics, how Syria's fall weakens Russia and Iran, as well as the implications for global oil prices, migration, and UK foreign policy.

Plus, a closer look at Labour's EU engagement, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves heads to Brussels and PM Sir Keir Starmer gears up for high-level security talks in the UAE.

You can send a WhatsApp to Jack and Sam on 07511 867 633 or email them: jackandsam@sky.uk    

UK will have to 'consider' whether to remove Syrian rebels as terror group

One of the complications around the situation in Syria is that the main rebel group - Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) - is proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK.

This means it is illegal to engage with them.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden is asked if the UK will have to reconsider this.

He says: "We will, and we'll consider that, and I think it will partly depend on what happens, in terms of how that group behaves now. 

"But I think countries around the world who prescribe this, it's not just the UK, the United States, European countries as well, I think probably will look at that now, and see what's going to happen in the future.

"But we've not made any decisions on that over the weekend."

'No plans' to reconsider Shamima Begum returning to UK

Shamima Begum, the Londoner who joined the Islamic State in Syria and was subsequently stripped of her citizenship, is currently still living in the nation.

Mr McFadden is asked if the UK will reconsider giving back her British passport now.

He says the people in control of the area of Syria where Begum lives are different to those in power in Damascus.

Begum lives in an area controlled by Kurdish forces.

He says there are "no plans" to look at her case again.

Tories call for Labour to cut Civil Service instead of expanding it

As we've mentioned, the government is announcing its plans to change the Civil Service today.

This includes making recruiting easier and getting outside expertise in to the bureaucracy.

But this has - unsurprisingly - not gone down well with the opposition.

For many years while they were in power, the Conservative were talking about reducing the size of the Civil Service in a bid to save money.

This was especially true in recent years, saying they wanted to get the headcount to pre-pandemic levels.

Speaking overnight, shadow paymaster general Richard Holden said: "The bureaucracy of the British state urgently needs cutting back, which is why at the general election we had a plan to reduce it to pre-COVID levels, plans Labour opposed.

"Everything Labour has done so far has been to swell the size and cost of the state, on the backs of workers, pensioners, farmers and family businesses across the country.

"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."

Labour unveils plan for Civil Service reform - including 'crack team' of problem solvers

Labour has announced a series of plans to change the Civil Service.

The overhaul to the state's central bureaucracy comes after Sir Keir Starmer accused "too many people in Whitehall" of being "comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline".

Both Labour and the Conservatives have said the system needs changing.

Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is giving a speech later today going into further details.

But we do know a little bit of what is going to be in the plans.

£100m for changes

The government says it will put £100m into its changes to the Civil Service as part of an "innovation fund".

This will help with so-called "test and learn teams", that Mr McFadden says will make the government act "a bit more like a start-up".

The "crack" teams of "problem solvers" will be sent to improve public services and help the new government achieve its goals.

They are set to consist of experts in the policy area, along with civil servants and seconded staff with operational experience.

Pilots will be run in Liverpool and Essex on temporary accommodation, and Manchester and Sheffield on supporting families.

Mr McFadden will say: "Test it. Fix the problems. Change the design. Test it again. Tweak it again. And so on, and so on, for as long as you provide the service. 

"Suddenly, the most important question isn't, 'How do we get this right the first time?'. It's 'How do we make this better by next Friday?'"

Tours of duty

Another innovation that the government is trumpeting is the concept of "tours of duty".

The idea here seems is that people with experience in the private sector in areas like startups or tech companies will come into government for up to a year to help "tackle big challenges".

These include criminal justice or health reform.

Another idea is for "front line" workers like prison officers or social workers and send them to "central government" to help make sure policy can actually match reality.

"They have taken the frustrations home with them each week," Mr McFadden will say.

"Now we want them to be part of the solution."

Changes to recruitment

Mr McFadden also wants to make recruitment to the Civil Service easier - saying the process is currently "mind bogglingly bureaucratic and off-putting".

The minister will say: "Applications can take days to fill in, and if you don't understand the Civil Service process, good external candidates can find it near impossible to jump through the hoops.

"We need to go further and faster. And so I will be asking departments across government to roll out simpler processes in their recruitment, using what we know works."

-SKY NEWS