Unions warn over UK reforms plan to abolish civil service code

UK reform policy chief Danny Kruger has sparked a dire warning after civil servants union Prospect suggested he would scrap the Civil Service Act if voted to power at the next general election.

Kruger said the platform, a key expression of behavioral expectations for public servants, would be replaced by “a much more simplified expression of the duties of public servants” once the party enters government.

Prospect, which represents experts including digital experts and civil service scientists, said eliminating the code would be cataclysmic.

Mike Clancy, the union’s general secretary, said the plans would “undermine the principles of an institution that best represents the interests of the British people”.

“We need public servants who can speak truth to power, not an army of reforms,” he said. “You only have to look at America to see the consequences of getting this wrong.”

Kruger last week published a nearly 5,000-word blueprint to reorganize the center of government, including abolishing the Cabinet Office, splitting the role of cabinet secretaries, drastically reducing headcount and introducing additional political appointees.

The document also briefly mentioned pending “further announcements” regarding the Civil Service Act and the Ministerial Code.

In a later interview with the Spectator, Kruger revealed more of his thoughts, saying plans to replace the Civil Service Act would highlight the need for civil servants to “respect ministerial direction and not have independent political priorities”.

“We must ensure that no public official can legitimately claim that they have a duty to the King or to the Constitution itself rather than to the elected government,” Mr Kruger said.

He added that the new code will include a requirement that employees “not engage in any kind of activity that undermines the policies of the department in which they work.”

The Civil Service Act is underpinned by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. However, the Centre’s only reference to replacing the bill was in the context of giving the Secretary of State the power to appoint or remove permanent secretaries and other civil servants.

Kruger told the Spectator that Reform UK wants to repeal the law, arguing it “establishes the civil service as a kind of independent entity with its own moral code and independent duties.”

The PCS, the largest union of civil servants, recently passed a motion at its annual delegates meeting pledging to double its reserves to fund strikes and prepare for UK government reforms. The union said these resources “will enable us to make the industrial, legal and campaign decisions needed to protect our unions and their members if a hostile government is elected.”

‘Wrong’ diagnosis

The Institute for Government, an independent think tank, applauded some of Fixing the Center’s ideas, such as proposals for structural change and improvements to civil service pay and performance.

But executive director Alex Thomas and deputy director Hannah Keenan said the analysis underpinning Kruger’s proposal was “wrong.”

“He based his plan on faith in the existence of an all-powerful Cabinet Office and Cabinet secretaries, and in civil servants with the means and intent to resist or slow down government policy,” they said.

“The fact is that there is no all-powerful bureaucrat pulling the strings or a conspiracy across the civil service to stop the minister. It would then be easier to solve the problem. Unfortunately for Kruger, the center is that weak and power is dispersed and degraded.”

Thomas and Keenan added: “While he has embarked on some of the right reforms, Kruger’s misdiagnosis means his governance plans fall short of delivering needed reforms across the civil service.”

They also noted that proposals to give political appointees the power to remove government officials at will would undermine the ability of government agencies to do so.

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