Hard rain coming: Inside the Whitehall revolution

Mace | Issue 2 | Magazine, Uncategorised

From the Archive

Photo by WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (10771977f)
Photo by WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (10771977f)

George Peel examines Downing Street’s ruthless approach to civil service reform

Early in July, Conservative MP Mark Francois had some clear advice for chief of the defence staff General Sir Nick Carter: “Please nip back to the department and ask them to sort their bloody selves out. Because if not, Cummings is going to come down and sort you out his own way, and you won’t like it.” The context was defence procurement, one of those perennial bureaucratic problems. The professional head of the armed forces gave a wry smile in response, no doubt already aware of what would be published in the Sydney Morning Herald hours later, that Dominic Cummings was to visit top-secret MOD sites including the SAS and Porton Down. For those who abhor government waste, the MOD is an easy target, and although the long-promised assault on this department has been put to rest by Covid-19, there is definitely a feeling that it will resurface when the delayed integrated security, defence and foreign policy review comes out. Some action has, nonetheless, already been taken with the Depart...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Scathing criticism

Christopher Silvester | December 3, 2025

From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books.

Telling a human tale

Christopher Silvester | December 3, 2025

From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books.

Frankly: Nicola Sturgeon

Christopher Silvester | December 3, 2025

From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books

Ex-deputy chair among Tory defections to Reform

Mace | November 30, 2025

Three former Conservative MPs, including ex-deputy chair Jonathan Gullis, defect to Reform UK as the party capitalises on Tory unrest and declining support.

UK–EU Defence Fund Talks Collapse Over Entry Fee Standoff

Mace | November 30, 2025

Talks between London and Brussels collapsed after the EU demanded a high entry fee for SAFE, leaving the UK limited to third-country participation.

Government to Ban Asylum Seekers from Taxi Services

Thomas Edwards | November 30, 2025

The government plans to end most taxi travel for asylum seekers attending medical appointments, replacing it with public transport and tightening Home Office oversight.

Yermak’s Resignation Sends Shockwaves Through Kyiv and Europe

Mace | November 29, 2025

The resignation of Andriy Yermak after anti-corruption raids disrupts Ukraine’s leadership and triggers uncertainty across Europe during a critical phase of the war.

Autumn Budget 2025: family finances squeezed, welfare rules eased

Mace | November 29, 2025

After weeks of tax rumour and expectation-setting, the 26 November Budget landed as a welfare-first package that lifts the benefits cap but tightens the screw on household incomes,

Zack to the future

Thomas Edwards | November 24, 2025

What will the Greens’ new eco-populist leader Zack Polanski – who now heads Britain’s third-largest political party – do for his next trick?

EU parliament shifts corporate rulebook in favour of business interests

Mace | November 14, 2025

The European Parliament on 13 November 2025 approved amendments that sharply reduce the scope of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the associated reporting regime