What next for Francis Maude? Two weeks ago, the Cabinet Office minister published his Civil Service Reform Plan, putting in black and white a set of policies that he’s been touting for years. As can be seen from our coverage since 2009, his overall vision has remained remarkably constant as he’s slowly, assiduously crafted his blueprint for change.
With the plan complete, it would be easy for Maude to consider his work done. After all, civil servants regularly publish strategies before leaving the stage and expecting others to implement them (they never do, of course). And many ministers, having launched a policy with great fanfare, prefer to leave the complexities of delivery to officials. But this is not Maude’s style. A rare example of a minister with a genuine interest in his job, he’s taken a uniquely hands-on approach to reform – and thus achieved far more in the post than any recent predecessor.
This is not, after all, a glamorous brief, and most previous postholders have given the thankless heavy lifting of civil service reform a wide berth. Liam Byrne, for example, concentrated on raising his media profile; Tessa Jowell was far more interested in the Olympics; and Ed Miliband focused firmly on the third sector portion of the job. Even if Maude’s predecessors had wanted to take on Whitehall, they wouldn’t have had time: under Blair and Brown, the longest-serving Cabinet Office minister lasted two years, while the average tenure was 11 months. It is deeply ironic that, while the reform plan talks of slowing the turnover of civil servants in key roles in order to improve the quality of project management, those chosen by the government to manage those managers have had a far higher rate of churn.
In a sensible system of government, Maude would now deliver his proposed reforms. With his grip of the details, his willingness to take point in negotiations and his consistent, unflashy application of pressure, he’s one of very few current ministers who might achieve the vast majority of his policy ambitions.
However, with rumours rife that the summer will bring a reshuffle, Maude might be offered a bigger job. After all, as time goes by his steady progress on delivery strikes an ever-greater contrast with the policy muddles surrounding departments such as those for health and defence.
Yet Maude’s departure would signal a lengthy hiatus in the process of civil service reform, if not a complete halt. Without an activist, focused minister leading the charge, the clock would strike midnight: suddenly, the Cabinet Office chariot would find its trailing convoy of departments heading for the hills, while civil service chief Sir Bob Kerslake would be transformed back into a mere departmental permanent secretary – albeit one who shares a car with the cabinet secretary on his daily commute. Even if a future minister had an interest in public administration, they’d be unlikely to adopt Maude’s painstakingly-fashioned set of reforms: no politician likes to find themselves implementing someone else’s policies.
While Maude’s promotion might make sense for a PM much in need of capable secretaries of state, it would badly damage civil service reform – even more so than the Cabinet Office’s run of high-profile escapees (see news, p3). What’s more, it might take Maude out of his comfort zone; for this is a minister more comfortable with pragmatic policymaking and delivery than with the party-political wrangling and the media circus.
In part, Maude has succeeded by pushing his reforms behind closed doors, while his efforts to win over the public have often proved counter-productive. From his stuttering appearance on the Today Programme – when Eddie Mair floored him on the Big Society – to his disastrous media management during the fuel strike that never was, Maude has shown himself to be a strong reformer but a poor performer. A promotion would place him centre stage; and as one of his colleagues once discovered, it’s sometimes best when quiet men don’t turn up the volume.
Matt Ross, Editor. matt.ross@dods.co.uk