Overview

• Keir Starmer has charged new cabinet secretary Chris Wormald with overhauling Whitehall to meet Labour's six priority targets, including reducing NHS waiting lists and improving living standards.
• Starmer's criticism of the civil service, including remarks about a 'tepid bath of managed decline,' has angered unions and demoralized officials who accuse him of scapegoating.
• Labour ministers, initially unprepared for the challenges of governing, have been frustrated by slow bureaucratic processes and a lack of cross-departmental collaboration.
• The Prime Minister has emphasized the need for structural reform, including potential reductions in civil service staff and the introduction of AI to improve efficiency and productivity.
• Starmer's approach reflects an effort to assert central direction in government but risks alienating the civil service, a key partner in implementing his ambitious agenda.