How do ministers reform public services?

How do ministers reform public services?

From The Rundown by PoliticsHome by PoliticsHome

April 10, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges and strategies of public service reform in the context of ministerial leadership.

This week's episode looks at public service reform, how important ministerial leadership is in driving Whitehall transformation, and what this government can learn from those who successfully executed their vision. Joining host Alain Tolhurst to discuss why driving change is often so difficult is Dr Rebecca McKee , senior researcher at the Institute for Government, and lead author of a new paper on the role of ministers in public sector reform, along with Charlotte Pickles , chief executive at the Re:State think tank and a former special adviser to Iain Duncan Smith at the Department for Work and Pensions, and Baroness Simone Finn , Conservative peer and a former Downing Street deputy chief of staff, as well as the founder and co-chair of Francis Maude Associates, having worked as a special adviser in the Cabinet Office during the coalition government. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

People in this episode

Host: Alain Tolhurst

Guests: Dr Rebecca McKee, Charlotte Pickles, Baroness Simone Finn

Topics covered

  • public service reform
  • ministerial leadership
  • Whitehall transformation
  • government learning
  • change management

Keywords

  • public services
  • reform
  • leadership
  • government
  • transformation
  • change
  • policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Institute for Government, Re:State, Francis Maude Associates, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions

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