Britain's most important relationship, between civil servants and ministers, has reached breaking point. Drawing on interviews with former government ministers and Permanent Secretaries – including Vince Cable, Caroline Flint, Rory Stewart, Philip Rutnam, Simon McDonald and Una O'Brien – The Mind of the Minister provides expert guidance and recommendations for how this vital relationship can improve.
Centuries of carefully built trust and mutual understanding have been undermined and strained in recent years, not least by mismanagement at the highest level, a scorched-earth approach to constitutional norms and the testing of civil service integrity. This relationship now needs urgent attention.
Ministers, famously, begin the job with an hour's notice and often know little about the department they've landed in. They bring energy, drive and optimism for change, but over time, these ambitions can be drowned by reality, accountability and crises, as well as the distractions of promotion, demotion or a changing political landscape.
Civil servants, on the other hand, serve the government of the day and remain in post while ministers come and go. They must be ready to adjust and impartially support a minister of any political persuasion or personality.
How does this partnership really work in practice? How do both sides adjust to the different chapters in a ministerial lifespan? What happens if rule makers become rule breakers without repercussions? This compelling book lifts the curtain on the minister–civil servant partnership, highlighting that this crucial relationship must improve – for the sake of our democracy.
