After the PM’s chief secretary Darren Jones set out plans to ‘move fast and fix things’, we’re asking, is it too late for this government to try and rewire the state ahead of the next election? 

And how does wholesale transformation of public services and the way Whitehall operate fit together with getting the so-called ‘barnacles off the boat’ in a slimmed down operation meant to be laser-focused this year on improving the cost of living?

To answer those questions and much more on Labour’s attempts at civil service reform, host Alain Tolhurst is joined by Hannah Keenan, associate director at the Institute for Government and lead author of their Whitehall Monitor 2026 report

Alongside her is Alexander Iosad, Director of Government Innovation at the Tony Blair Institute, and who co-wrote their recent paper on Public-Service Reform in the Age of AI, as well as Luke Sullivan, director at Headland Consultancy, who was Keir Starmer’s political director until the 2024 election, and a former special adviser in the Cabinet Office.

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Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot