Economy

Commission urges focus on investment away from London and the South East, but warns of “dilution” of know-how witnessed by civil service departments

Former No. 10 policy adviser Daniel Korski tells Sam Trendall about his plans to create an armada of UK tech players to compete with the best California has to offer – and why he needed to leave Whitehall to do so

Study finds Whitehall is the world’s most effective civil service for generating policy, but falls down ranking in areas like financial management and digital services

As the new apprenticeships system gets into full swing, Suzannah Brecknell meets Peter Lauener, the man charged with setting up the institute which will put employers front and centre

Plan would have formed part of government drive to encourage a cashless society

Institute for Government says High Speed 1 rail link and Thames Tideway tunnel are among projects where government may have made the wrong investment decision

National Audit Office says department did not look carefully enough at other ways to fund new nuclear plant

Transport secretary Chris Grayling insists services are improving and some recommendations are already being implemented

Pan-Whitehall campaign seeks 70 new analysts, with Defra earmarked for biggest intake

Martin Stanley recalls his own shift into the world of watchdogs and introduces his new ‘Understanding Regulation’ website

Theresa May’s fledgling post-Brexit industrial strategy seeks to use government purchasing power to boost UK business if the Conservatives remain in power. Colin Marrs looks at historical precedents and future pointers.

Think tank warns post-Brexit trade deals will require a step-change in Whitehall culture with the creation of a new “trade negotiator” profession as a priority

Conservationists voice fears over proposals to remodel listed city office block

IFS analysis finds both Labour and Conservative plans would lead to increase in proportion of public sector workers paid national minimum wage

Ministers accused of having to bow to demands to keep manufacturing jobs in Britain after Brexit

New combined authority chiefs could improve services and boost local economies if offered new menu of powers, says think tank

Department-sponsored study flags move as part of wider reform of franchising system

Local Government Association asks all parties to commit to further devo rollout in their election manifestos

Ministerial direction was required by DfT perm sec to provide funds for project

Former Cabinet Office minister details plan of action for newly-launched drive to free industry from unnecessary EU bureaucracy

National Audit Office investigation finds £120m-plus spent in south-east has so far led to just one train operator introducing flexible part-time season tickets

Tory policy guru launches cross-party initiative to consider how post-Brexit regulations can support the economy, with support from former cabinet secretary Lord Butler and business leaders

ONS figures show that pay fell in real terms in the three months to February

Senior figure in Manchester devolution deal says Brexit shows centralised UK has not served country well