Tory Plan To 'Politicise' Civil Service Following Raab Case

Review to recommend ministers appoint their own officials

- ADAM FORREST

A Tory peer who is leading a government review into how the civil service operates has called for a greater "politicisation" of Whitehall through allowing ministers more power to appoint their own officials. Francis Maude said the system needs to be less “mealy-mouthed about ‘politicisation’” in the wake of Dominic Raab’s resignation and the claims made by Mr Raab that civil service “activists” had been working against him.

It comes as Rishi Sunak was accused by Tory MPs of betrayal over the Raab scandal, with one complaining that the PM “definitely doesn’t have anyone’s back”. Mr Raab quit on Friday after the probe into bullying accusations upheld two of the claims against him and found that he had acted in an intimidating and aggressive way that could have amounted to bullying.

Writing in The Observer, Lord Maude said that there will be more cases like Mr Raab’s, in which “frustrations boil over”, and suggested ministers could be given more say in the appointment of civil servants. “We need a much more robust culture, with less groupthink, more rugged disagreement, and the confidence to both offer challenge and accept it,” the former Cabinet Office minister said. “That includes accepting candid feedback.”

Lord Maude pointed to other governments, with similar civil service systems, that have had more success in balancing impartiality and continuity, as well as ministers’ need for officials to be responsive.