Tag Archives: May

An increasingly costly resource: are special advisers value for money?

In recent weeks questions have been raised about the involvement of the Prime Minister’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings, in decision-making in relation to the government’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. This is not the first time that questions have been … Continue reading

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The seemingly inexorable rise of the special political adviser

This post first appeared on the Democratic Audit blog in December 2018. Every year since 2010, usually at around this time of year, the Government publishes a list of special advisers and their salaries. The latest data release, which took … Continue reading

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In praise of the PM’s Parliamentary Private Secretary

I have become transfixed by Prime Minister’s Questions, but not by the weekly joust between the PM and the Leader of the Opposition. I am fascinated, instead, by what is going on just over the Prime Minister’s right shoulder. The MP sitting just behind … Continue reading

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Who governs? Knowing your Secretary of State from your Parliamentary Private Secretary

If one were to ask a random selection of the public on any high street in the UK, who they think runs the country, while the answers would be varied and perhaps laced with a healthy dose of scepticism about … Continue reading

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Government transparency and the appointment of Parliamentary Private Secretaries

I have written in previous posts about the rise of the so-called payroll vote, those MPs holding government jobs who would need to resign their position if they wish to vote against the government. Although the number of paid Ministerial … Continue reading

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