The Latest Breaking News from Pat McFadden

Keir Starmer opens Downing Street’s door this week for guests from schoolchildren singing carols to MPs and hacks, trooping in to meet the PM over English sparkling wine. Starmer will be looking forward to a few days off. He looks and sounds tired after undertaking a punishing travel schedule to…

Letters: Dr Jamie Gough says we need more government officers, not fewer, Prof Peter Golding questions Pat McFadden’s ‘startup’ idea, and a civil servant responds to ministers’ recent comments on his and his colleagues work

Editorial: When an insecure government borrows credibility from business leaders, a lot can go wrong

Ministers are right to want to reform the state: it’s crucial to their project. But simply telling civil servants to work harder won’t achieve it, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

RACHEL Reeves has been accused of using “Thatcherite language” in her latest crackdown on public spending.

The Prime Minister said the Civil Service was ‘admired across the world’ after a backlash to his comments last week.

Kashim Shettima said Nigerians are proud of Badenoch’s achievements, despite her denigrating the country where she was brought up

A Cabinet minister had earlier suggested a decision on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham could be taken quickly.

COMMENT: Inviting the best and brightest employed in start-ups to take six-month sabbaticals to help Whitehall fix its broken work culture is a laudable idea – but here’s why Pat McFadden is on a hiding to nothing, says Sean O’Grady

Ministers facing calls to reconsider proscription of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, with No 10 saying it is ‘evolving situation’

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster cited Airbnb, WhatsApp and Spotify as examples of start-ups the Civil Service could emulate.