Whitehall is too ‘tame, reactive and risk-averse’, says UK’s top civil servant

Whitehall is too “tame, reactive and risk-averse”, the cabinet secretary has said, as she set out a “completely new approach” to managing the performance of civil servants.

With Andy Burnham and his deputy, Louise Haigh, in the audience, the UK’s most senior civil servant, Antonia Romeo, gave a lecture saying she would bring radical change to Whitehall as it deals with uncertainty caused by AI and global political tensions.

She said fundamental reform of the civil service to improve productivity was essential given the “tight fiscal context”. Ministers are grappling with how to deliver higher defence spending in future while protecting the budgets of public services.

Romeo’s statement that she would “rewire” the civil service echoed pledges under Keir Starmer’s government.

But recent changes to increase bonuses for high performing senior civil servants were “just the start”, she said.

Romeo said her new approach to managing performance in Whitehall would “incentivise and reward brilliant delivery, valuable expertise and sticking it out to get the job done”.

“Poor performance drives out good performance and discretionary effort, and we must urgently address that,” she said, speaking at the London School of Economics.

“We will strengthen processes and train and equip managers to reward those making the biggest impact, and take decisive action on poor performance.”

She said she would also aim to reduce churn, which means some officials move sideways to get pay rises rather than being rewarded for staying in the same job.

Romeo said some of the criticisms of the civil service must be addressed, including that it was “tame and risk-averse”, “reactive, not strategic” and “siloed, not working across boundaries”.

The cabinet secretary is overseeing a review of the organisation of the civil service that is due in the spring, alongside an update to its code.

She said the review would look at current departmental structures and whether they are the best options in an era of cross-cutting delivery, as well as what AI and “devolution by default” mean for the civil service.

Despite worries among some civil servants that AI would be used to replace officials, Romeo said the technology could be used to make the civil service “more human” by using its power to cut out bureaucracy, allowing officials to concentrate on creativity, interaction and decision-making.

“From healthcare screening for types of cancer to tackling the risk of homelessness, technology can enable us to be much more predictive, preventative and personalised, under appropriate controls and guardrails. AI can help us make public services more human,” she said.

After the speech, a government spokesperson said Burnham “backs the cabinet secretary’s vision for a civil service that is fit for the future”.

“He is determined to rewire the state, pushing power out of Whitehall and handing it to the communities and regions it serves,” they said.

“By embracing AI responsibly, cutting needless bureaucracy and rebuilding trust, the prime minister will work with the cabinet secretary to deliver better public services and growth in every postcode.”