Starmer’s civil service reform plans raises fears of Musk’s Doge agenda

Highly controversial plans to revolutionise Whitehall by introducing performance-related pay, an accelerated exit process for under-performing mandarins and more digitalisation will be announced this week in what ministers say is a programme to “reshape the state” so it can respond to a new “era of insecurity”.

- Toby Helm Political Editor

The proposed changes, to be announced by Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, will inevitably provoke alarm and resistance from civil service unions, and be seen as the government using the current wave of global uncertainty as cover to drive through radical modernisation of civil service methods and culture.

They will also be seen as following Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) run by Elon Musk to reduce spending and increase performance.

McFadden will say that the public does not believe that the British state, as currently configured, is able to fully and efficiently respond to modern challenges and the new need for beefed-up national security. As a result he will say that civil servants’ performance and pay will be judged on the extent to which they deliver on key priorities such as national security and key government missions.

While Whitehall departments have substantially grown in recent years ~ increasing by more than 15,000 since the end of 2023 - McFadden is expected to say working people have not seen improvements in their job opportunities, the safety of their neighbourhoods or the length of time they have to wait for NHS treatment.