Sir Keir Starmer has been warned the flagship “missions” he is banking on to win the next election are unclear, confusing and “failing to grip Whitehall”.
And he faces a huge battle with a bloated civil service that lacks “capability” and is forced to spend £688 million every year bringing in outside experts.
The Prime Minister has set the Government five goals that he hopes will deliver Labour a second election victory, including growing the economy, cutting crime, generating more “green” energy, better education and improving the NHS.
He’s attempting to transform the way Whitehall works by telling government departments to work together delivering these “missions” with his lieutenant Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in charge of so-called mission boards.
But experts say there is a danger the approach will “simply cause confusion”
A report today by the Institute for Government says the mission boards “exist alongside regular cabinet committees, making their role – especially where remits overlap – unclear”.
It adds: “There is so far little evidence that the missions have truly gripped Whitehall.”
A bloated civil service which has grown massively over the past ten years is part of the problem. There are now 505,995 civil servants up from 390,250 in 2015.
Despite this, taxpayers are spending huge sums on paying outside consultants, with the costs up from £409 million in £409 million in 2019-20 to £688 million today. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero alone increasing its spend from £36 million in 2022/23 to £102 million in 2023/24.
The report says: “There is no shortage of work to be done in improving the capability of the civil service.”
Sir Keir could be booted out of office if he fails to deliver, the report warns. It said: “Having been elected on a relatively low proportion of the vote, his party needs to show that it can use its parliamentary mandate to deliver for a frustrated public.”
Institute for Government Senior Researcher Jack Worlidge said: “Fundamental problems in Whitehall are risking the success of the government’s missions.
“The government must move beyond its vague plans and use 2025 to kickstart meaningful reforms in Whitehall.”
