The UK wants to make using government services as easy as shopping online
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones has promised a wholesale digital transformation of the British state, pulling from the best parts of the tech sector by ‘moving fast and fixing things’.
Speaking on Tuesday (20 January), Jones said that the ‘broken state’ in which the country finds itself can be attributed to years of underinvestment and lack of innovation.
To address this, Jones announced several reforms, including:
- New hiring criteria for Senior Civil Servants prioritizing delivery experience over policy writing;
- Performance-based accountability with KPIs set directly by ministers, with underperformers to be dismissed rather than transferred;
- A reformed bonus structure – with fewer but higher bonuses for exceptional performers;
- A new National School of Government and Public Services to provide in-house training on technology, AI, and strategic thinking.
Jones also confirmed the government’s plans for an ‘everything app’ – which will include building a new digital platform with the gov.uk app as the “front door”.
“Everyone agrees that the status quo in our public services is not working. To use a phrase the public will often refer to – the so-called broken state,” he said.
“The public rightly ask, if I can bank and shop online, in a quick and convenient way, then why can’t I do that with my public services?”
Jones admitted that a lot of time in government was spent working on policies rather than enacting them.
“That’s why the Prime Minister has asked for nothing short of a complete rewiring of the state.”
“We should be honest with ourselves. The public do not care if we have drafted a beautiful policy paper that everyone in government agrees with. They want to see real change in their community and the country.”
“Across the civil service, the government will now promote the doers, not just the talkers.”
