Half of senior civil servants will be moved out of London in major shake-up 

Half of senior civil servants will be moved out of London in major shake-up following Dominic Cummings’s departure

  • Half of senior civil servants to be moved out of London, ministers announce 
  • Boris Johnson will get new powers to oversee the performance of mandarins
  • New training offered to civil servants to build expertise in digital, data & science


Half of senior civil servants will be moved out of London and all new top jobs will be advertised externally in a bid to bring in new talent, ministers will announce today.

Boris Johnson will get new powers to oversee the performance of mandarins, including linking their pay to how well they deliver.

The Government will also insist ministers work hand-in-hand with civil servants on reform as it attempts to draw a line under the era of Dominic Cummings.

During his time in No 10, the Prime Minister’s former chief adviser was reported to have threatened a ‘hard rain’ was coming for Whitehall.

Boris Johnson will get new powers to oversee the performance of mandarins, including linking their pay to how well they deliver.

In a speech today outlining the overhaul, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will say: ‘On some past occasions, it has been regrettable that reform overall was seen as something driven by politicians, against the mulish opposition of bureaucrats. It is a missed opportunity when reform is felt as something done by ministers to civil servants, rather than with them.

‘And greater openness in the deployment of outside talent to drive progress should never be understood as somehow a replacement for or usurpation of the vital role civil servants play.’

The Cabinet and departmental permanent secretaries will hold their first ever joint meeting this morning to agree a ‘declaration on Government reform’.

They will strengthen a promise to relocate 22,000 civil service roles outside the capital by saying this will include half of senior roles. New training will be offered to civil servants and ministers to build expertise in digital, data and science.

In a speech today outlining the overhaul, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will announce changes

In a speech today outlining the overhaul, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will announce changes

Members of the public will be given a single log-in for online Government services so they do not have to remember multiple passwords.

A new system of pay, reward and performance management will be brought in for civil servants, including performance-related pay for mandarins.

The Prime Minister and the Cabinet Secretary jointly will oversee the performance of permanent secretaries to ensure they are delivering within their departments.

Mr Gove will say the pandemic has highlighted what changes are needed. He will say: ‘It’s been a consistent feature of our history that the national weaknesses, fissures or fractures that have been laid bare or exacerbated by crises should be addressed with the same energy and single-mindedness required for a successful response to the crisis itself.’

Mr Johnson said last night: ‘As we look ahead to the opportunities ahead of us to build back a better and fairer Britain, we owe it to the people of this country to make sure their government is best equipped to deliver on their priorities.

‘That’s why we are launching our blueprint for reform – to keep building on our expertise, modernise how government is run and transform this country for the better.’

Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service Simon Case said: ‘As we look forward now to renewal and recovery, this reform programme created by ministers and officials ensures that we will grip the challenges and opportunities together.’