Michael Gove backs calls to power shift away from civil service

The former Conservative MP and minister has backed a report calling for a major shift at the heart of Government.

Michael Gove delivering a speech during the general election campaign (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

Michael Gove has given his backing to calls for a shift of power away from senior civil servants into the hands of ministers.

The former Conservative MP and long-serving former minister has lent his support to a Policy Exchange report that condemns how Government power has been shared with agencies, experts and arms-length bodies.

The report, entitled “Getting a Grip on the System: Restoring Ministerial Authority over the Machine” is co-authored by Stephen Webb, a former senior civil servant and former Tory and Labour special advisers Iain Mansfield and Paul Richards.

Analysis by the think tank claims the senior civil service has expanded while the length of service of cabinet ministers has decreased in recent years.

In a series of recommendations aimed at the new Labour Government, the report calls for enhanced power for ministers to influence public and senior civil service appointments, as well as a clarification of the civil service code to ensure civil servants do not block work on ministerial priorities.A smaller civil service with better training and high salaries is also recommended, as is a greater role for a larger number of ministerial advisers.

Mr Gove and Jim Murphy, the former Scottish Labour leader, have both written forewords for the report, backing its recommendations.

Former cabinet minister Mr Gove welcomed the “philosophy underlying the report”, adding: “It represents an unfashionable commitment to politics as a calling, recognising that only through politics can difficult choices and trade-offs be made.

“Most of all, it pushes back hard on the pretensions of those who believe whole areas of public life and decision-making impacting the population should be fenced off and left in the hands of technocrats beyond any political accountability.”

He also suggested there was “fellow feeling between politicians of all parties about the challenges they have faced delivering their political priorities once in office”.