As the new government beds in, every day brings news of more special adviser appointments.
These are tricky roles to understand, for spads themselves and for civil servants. That’s why the Institute for Government recently launched SpAdcast. Drawing on interviews with several former spads, this four-part podcast series lifts the lid on what life is really like in one of these roles.
Here are seven things you’ll learn in the series, using insights from the seven interviewees.
There’s no formal recruitment process
Unlike civil servants, there isn’t a prescribed recruitment process for spads – it’s up to secretaries of state who they want to occupy these important roles, and how they choose them. When Nicky Morgan was first appointed to cabinet, she didn’t know who to turn to for her first spads. But her WhatsApp was “flooded with people saying, look, I’d love to come and work with you. Can we have a coffee?”.
And with no set process, interviews can be unusual. Emily Walch, former spad to Vince Cable, endured a “gruelling” three and a half-hour interview, Cable’s wife crocheting in the window, where she “felt I had lost a dress size by the end of it”.
There’s no job description and no induction
Once in post, new spads have to work out what they’re actually supposed to be doing. As Aled Maclean-Jones – former spad to Steve Barclay – put it, “there’s not really a manual out there, or a training course or graduate development programme.”
This means finding your feet in the early months is tricky. Emma Dean, former spad to Matt Hancock, says she “turned up, […] was given a laptop, an email address and a pass. And was basically told to get on with it.”
They’re reactive roles, but prioritising is essential
SpAds are inundated as soon as they start the job, and the nature of private office forces them to be reactive and inbox-driven. But a big part of the role is also ensuring that your minister’s priorities are progressing. As Emily Walch puts it, “You are just deluged. And the opportunity to get involved in everything is there every day. So you have to learn to prioritise very early, and really try to establish: what is the northern star that’s going to guide your work?”
"You are just deluged. And the opportunity to get involved in everything is there every day. So you have to learn to prioritise very early" Emily Walch
SpAds need to know their ministers mind
A central purpose of spads is understanding how their minister thinks. They are, Aled says, “almost treated like a minister whisperer” – serving as a delegated authority, making decisions on the minister’s behalf because they know what they would want to do, and advising officials on how to broach a particular discussion or piece of advice.
This is only possible if spads know their minister well. Hannah Guerin, former spad to Priti Patel, points out that “the last thing you want to do is be confidently giving advice to the department and suddenly everyone realises that wasn't quite the right thing or the thing that the secretary of state wanted to be doing”.
The only answer is for spads to spend as much time as possible with their minister – in meetings, in the car, at events, on the phone – a “constant conversation”, as former Hilary Benn spad Wes Ball puts it.
The relationship with civil servants is fundamental to the role
If knowing your minister’s mind is essential, so too is working constructively with civil servants. In general, spads are very positive about the officials they work with – we hear particular praise for the health spending team in the Treasury, as well as the migration team in the Home Office.
And importantly, the classic caricature of spad behaviour – aggressive and shouty – would not just be wrong, but also counterproductive. As Emily Walch put it, if a spad did take that approach, “you’re not going to get the best out of your department. You’re not going to be effective.”
"If knowing your minister’s mind is essential, so too is working constructively with civil servants"
SpAds can be invaluable in cross-Whitehall negotiations
A less well known aspect of spads’ roles is "greasing the wheels" in Whitehall – coordinating at a political level with No.10, the Treasury and other government departments. Whether it’s spending review negotiations or soothing No.10’s concerns over a controversial proposal, they’ll be in regular contact with their counterparts at the centre.
The real value often comes from "spad school", the now-traditional weekly meeting of all special advisers. Seeing each other in person has real benefits. Fraser Raleigh, who worked for David Lidington, highlights the importance of being able to “go up and solve little problems in the margins of these meetings.”
Losing your job means you’re removed with ‘ruthless efficiency’
If spad recruitment is unusual, losing the job can be brutal. With your contract tied to your minister’s role, any reshuffle or unexpected turn of events can see you out of a job with no notice.
And because you don’t get a notice period, you’re kicked out “incredibly quickly”, Emma says – “it’s ruthlessly efficient in terms of you being removed from the department.”
New spads won’t be thinking about this just yet – but for them and civil servants alike, the SpAdcast series will be a useful guide in the coming months.
Jack Worlidge is a senior researcher at the Institute for Government
The first two episodes of SpAdcast are out now, and on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. Episodes 3 and 4 will be out in the coming weeks.