Anyone who watched Sir Olly give evidence today could see the passion and commitment he has for public service.

At the heart of this debacle we have seen the unceremonious dismissal of a public servant who, as I said to @lbc.co.uk, has dedicated his career to the work of government and the protection of our national security.

As I told @lbc.co.uk, Sir Olly Robbins outlined today that there's a reason the vetting process is kept separate from ministers - to protect the integrity of the process, and ultimately national security.

You would think from some of the commentary out there that, instead of Dame Antonia Romeo, the cabinet secretary, publishing her objectives on Tuesday, she had instead authored her own version of the Communist Party Manifesto.

My latest column for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social

Press release from the FDA union: 'FDA response to the Minister for Education’s written ministerial statement'

FDA National Officer for Northern Ireland @robertmurtagh1.bsky.social has responded to the written ministerial statement made by Minister for Education Paul Givan this afternoon:

Back civil servants to ‘rewire Whitehall’, report urges - FDA Involve civil servants and properly invest in AI to achieve the productivity and savings the government seeks, a new report from the FDA and the Fabian Society argues.

Read our report here:

Refreshing to see a minister recognise that creating a more productive and agile state is a shared ambition with officials.

As our new report - Adopt, Innovate, Transform - shows, 2/3 have already innovated with Al and believe it can help transform services.

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Back civil servants to ‘rewire Whitehall’, report urges - FDA Involve civil servants and properly invest in AI to achieve the productivity and savings the government seeks, a new report from the FDA and the Fabian Society argues.

This report articulates practical recommendations for how to use AI to build a culture that will empower civil servants to unlock their creativity to provide for the public.

Read the full report here:

www.fda.org.uk/news/back-ci...

Adopting AI in public services will only be successful if we make these technologies synonymous with good meaningful work.

A pleasure to launch ‘Adopt, Innovate, Transform’, the new report from the FDA and @thefabians.bsky.social, at our HQ this evening.

Another problem is that as soon as you have political picks, when you change a minister they will want their own pick as well. In the last 10 yrs we have had whole football teams of secretaries of state. If you changed the permanent secretary every time it would be a massive churn, & very disruptive

Politicising the SCS would also mean the entire senior leadership changing when a new govt came in. Depts would lose institutional memory & it would inhibit the transition of power. It’s essentially choosing party over country, the very antithesis of why we have a permanent, impartial civil service.

It is truly a privilege to serve as General Secretary of the FDA and I could not be prouder to be re-elected for another 5 year term. The challenges never cease but neither does the inspiration in representing the dedicated public servants who make up our growing membership.

After a decade of being almost infantilised by ministers, we need a confident, visible civil service leadership that will stand up for the values of an impartial, permanent civil service. Romeo’s first message to all staff captured just that. My latest for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social

Antonia Romeo's builders 'aimed salty language at her neighbours' Dame Antonia, who is said to command a £200,000 salary in her new role, bought the house in West London with her hugely wealthy husband John Romeo, back in 2023.

And so it continues. Tittle-tattle used rehash the same old stories to keep them in the public consciousness. A deliberate campaign to undermine the Cabinet Secretary. How ironic on #IWD

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Great appointment of Baroness Maggie Jones as new Chair of Acas. Look forward to working together at an exciting and challenging time for Acas with huge opportunity to help change the world of work.

www.acas.org.uk/baroness-jon...

Hybrid working can unlock efficiencies for the taxpayer and greater work life balance for employees, giving the civil service a competitive advantage for talent. That’s why we need to break out of the top down dogmatic approach from Govt. Great piece by @laurencrowley.bsky.social

Peter Case singing into a microphone and playing a guitar on stage at Loppen music venue in Copenhagen.

The joy of getting older is the self indulgence. Call it Americana, call it new wave country or call it folk, but whatever you call it, Peter Case is simply amazing tonight in Copenhagen.

Great to hear John O'Dowd MLA, Minister of Finance in the Northern Ireland Executive, with responsibility for the NICS, address the FDA Northern Ireland Conference on the scale of the fiscal challenge in NI and need for a fairer financial settlement combined with transformation of public services.

As a told the @telegraph.co.uk, a lot of the criticism aimed at Romeo are about attributes that would be seen as a compliment if used to describe a man, such as wanting a profile or being ambitious. Some of the language is underlined by misogyny.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02...

Another cabinet secretary gone – and still no lessons learned The treatment of Chris Wormald isn’t just reprehensible, argues FDA general secretary Dave Penman – it shows ministers have learned nothing from th...

The briefing has to stop. Plausible deniability is not good enough and it never was. Only the prime minister can stop what is ultimately done in his name.

My latest column for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social

www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

My response to today's announcement of Sir Chris Wormald's departure as Cabinet Secretary.

Politicians have a responsibility to protect the impartiality of the civil service and that constitutional settlement. It is disappointing this government is yet to learn the lessons from the Cummings era and has not taken that responsibility seriously.

Civil servants can't publicly defend themselves, which Lord MacDonald knows from his professional experience. I think his intervention last night was poor judgement.

As I told World at One, this is no way to run a country. The briefing and speculation about the Cabinet Secretary not only undermines the individual and the office of Cabinet Secretary, but has a chilling effect across the entire civil service.

Press release from FDA Union. “Farcical” to wait until 2030 to make decision on restoration and renewal of parliament, says FDA Responding to the latest publication of UK Parliament’s Restoration and Renewal Board, Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals, FDA General Secretary Dave Penman said: “It is farcical that a decision has not already been reached. The Restoration and Renewal Programme was established in 2013 and MPs were first asked to consider options and make recommendations in 2015. “Waiting until 2030 to make the decision on enhanced maintenance versus a full decant of the parliamentary estate is not a viable option. “Over a decade has already passed. The facts have not changed. Independent reports and parliamentary staff agree - a full decant of the estate is the safest, quickest, and most cost-effective way to make parliament safe. Every other measure fails to adequately address safety and security concerns. “The only thing that has changed is the increased costs and danger. Since 2015, costs have risen from £3.8 billion to £15.6 billion as construction prices have increased, the building falls further into disrepair, and we continue to spend £75.9 million a year just on maintenance. “In the last decade there has also been 36 fire incidents, 12 asbestos incidents, and 19 stonemasonry incidents. “No more reports, no more commissions, no more dithering and delaying. Parliamentary leaders must now take an urgent position on the delivery approach and choose a full decant of the estate. “The health and safety of members, staff, and visitors take precedence. We cannot wait for a catastrophic incident to focus minds and make the decision for us.”

No more reports, no more commissions, no more dithering and delaying. We need a decision on the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminister now.

Waiting any longer will only continue to increase the costs and the danger posed.

Darren Jones showed he is a thoughtful minister – this government must now show it can address the legitimate concerns of voters Time will tell on Jones' reform plans, but it's good to see a minister acknowledge complex challenges head on and publicly

Jones is right, blaming ‘the blob’ makes you a rubbish minister. But can he convince civil servants they won’t be blamed by ministers for taking the risks the govt is pushing for?

My latest for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social

Following his speech today on modernising Whitehall, I asked
@darrenpjones.bsky.social how government can convince civil servants, who have too often been scapegoated by politicians, to take risks without knowing they won’t get quickly blamed by ministers when those risks don’t work out.

At @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's annual conference I asked Mel Stride how, when he won’t know the state of public services in 2029, the health of the economy or even the programme his own govt would have if elected - he knows how many civil servants will be needed then.

At today’s @instituteforgovernment.org.uk annual conference, I asked @darrenpjones.bsky.social how he responds to concerns about the fragmentation of responsibilities, including changes to his own role, preventing civil service reform.

At @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's annual conference, I asked Wes Streeting what he is doing to give staff in the NHS and civil service the support and stability they need to deliver public services and drive efficiencies whilst navigating the uncertainties of major organisational restructures.