Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has proposed plans to dismantle the Cabinet Office, which they view as central to Britain’s entrenched bureaucracy, aiming to shift power back to elected officials.
Danny Kruger, the MP for East Wiltshire and a recent defector to Reform UK from the Conservative Party, mentioned a detailed 11-page policy document outlining the abolition of the Cabinet Office and its Chief Cabinet Secretary role, suggesting these should be replaced with the Prime Minister’s Office and Chief of Staff positions.
Mr. Kruger criticized the current state of British politics, suggesting it’s become somewhat of a farce, with MPs competing for leadership in a system that has been undermined by Tony Blair’s reforms, enhancing the influence of an anonymous bureaucratic establishment over elected officials. He noted that politicians often present government policies as if they were actively involved, while in reality, they have little control over them.
He asserted that real power in government lies with Dame Antonia Romeo, the Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Office, he argued, is the highest policy coordination body, essentially serving as a hub for British intelligence, often directing decisions toward its own interests.
Kruger believes there shouldn’t be a division between “elected” and “permanent” authorities. He suggested reforms would shift policy responsibilities back to various ministries and their elected leaders, giving ministers authority over hiring and firing bureaucrats.
“The existing system takes high-quality advice and information away from ministers and the prime minister, hindering effective decision-making and making accountability obscure. The true power is not with the elected officials but with permanent civil servants, especially within the Cabinet Office’s chaotic bureaucracy,” he explained.
“The proposed structure would restore ministers and their advisors to the forefront of decision-making,” Kruger added.
Farage has long sought to return power to elected representatives in Parliament and Downing Street, a principle reflected in the name of his party, Reform UK.
While the civil service claims to remain politically neutral, it has increasingly leaned left in recent years, becoming a strong influence for radical ideologies across the nation.
Even under the last Conservative government, civil servants were reportedly pushing fringe ideas about race and gender, with demands that affirmations of over 100 genders be made and that traditional terms like “mother” and “father” be avoided.
The report also highlighted that civil servants underwent diversity training that claimed Britain is a racist nation and discouraged colleagues from questioning this assessment.
Whitehall has allegedly tried to undermine government policies before, even threatening strikes in 2022 in response to the then-Conservative government’s plan regarding illegal migrants.
Just last week, the Public Commercial Service (PCS), the largest civil servant union, voted to double its strike fund, arguing that a “hostile” government led by Farage was attempting to dismantle impartiality in the civil service.
Mr. Kruger stated that bureaucrats who strike to “undermine ministerial authority and civil service impartiality through illegal actions” would find themselves without a job to return to.
