Alex Thomas
Programme Director
Alex's recent work
The parties should focus on substance as well as sales ahead of the election
Election fever is hotting up in the aftermath of the local elections.
Liz Truss blaming the deep state is an excuse for failure
Liz Truss's deep state delusions are undermining any serious argument she might make.
The PCS challenge on arms sales to Israel shows the strengths and limits of civil service unions
Civil service unions have a particular responsibility to show restraint on political activity.
All work
Better policy making
How government – both ministers and officials – could change to make policy better.
A new statutory role for the civil service
The civil service needs a new statutory role to reflect its permanence, purpose, values and how it should be run and held to account.
Will Boris Johnson’s new chief of staff Steve Barclay be able to get a grip?
It is not yet clear how the prime minister’s new No.10 set-up will help him survive
Boris Johnson’s plan for an ‘Office of the Prime Minister’ won’t address Sue Gray’s criticism
A superficial reorganisation of No.10 cannot solve the government’s problems
Whitehall Monitor 2022
Major reform is needed for government to respond to crises like the pandemic while simultaneously delivering long-term policy goals.
MPs must not outsource their judgement about Boris Johnson to Sue Gray
Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers are putting more weight on Sue Gray’s investigation than it can possibly bear
It is not right to appoint a politician to lead the Civil Service Commission
The government has made a mistake by proposing a politician to lead the body that exists to oversee civil service impartiality
Kate Bingham’s crisis method needs modifying for 'peacetime' government
Alex Thomas sets out how Kate Bingham's lessons from the pandemic should be applied when normal times return
Pay reform for the senior civil service
The government must commit to ringfencing the £45m needed to fund its promised reform of senior civil service pay or risk undermining job satisfaction
The government’s confused communications have worsened the fuel crisis
Simple, disciplined, trustworthy and calm communication with the public is the best tool the government has to handle the fuel crisis