Alex Chisholm, an experienced UK official, has been appointed second-in-command of the British civil service and given the task of overseeing Boris Johnson’s reforms.
Michael Gove, minister for the Cabinet Office, said he was “delighted” at the appointment, adding that Mr Chisholm would play a central part in the government’s efforts to reform the civil service and deliver on its key manifesto commitments.
“Alex will be responsible for supporting ministers to develop and then drive forward a reform programme for the civil service, building on the government’s existing efficiency programme,” Mr Gove said.
Civil service reform has been a key objective of the Johnson government — particularly for the prime minister’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who believes Whitehall is responsible for many policy failures.
In a blog post earlier this year, Mr Cummings called for “weirdos and misfits” to join the civil service and shake up traditional thinking in Whitehall. But his approach soon backfired when one new contractor, Andrew Sabisky, was fired after a history of controversial comments over eugenics was discovered.
Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, said Mr Chisholm would lead “the ongoing transformation of the civil service to further enhance its efficiency, effectiveness and agility”.
Mr Chisholm said he was “thrilled” by his new role, adding: “the present [coronavirus] emergency is a powerful reminder of how important the work of government is to the whole country”.
The 52-year-old will succeed John Manzoni, who was chief executive of the civil service and permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, and will take the title of chief operating officer to reflect more closely the responsibilities of his role.
An indication of what Mr Chisholm may face was set out in an opinion piece by Rachel Wolf, a former adviser to Mr Johnson, a close ally of Mr Cummings and a co-writer of the Conservatives’ general election manifesto.
In an article for the Daily Telegraph newspaper in January, Ms Wolf wrote, “Dominic has been reading and thinking about how to transform the public sector for two decades” and suggested the government wanted to create “the most dynamic state in the world”.
Her suggestions for how to do this included improving training, widening recruitment to involve more scientists, ending the practice of civil servants moving between departments and focusing Whitehall on the priorities of voters.
Mr Chisholm, will start his new role on April 14. He has been permanent secretary at the Department for Business since 2016, and prior to that was chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority. Before joining the civil service, he worked for a series of media and technology businesses, including the Financial Times.
