Civil service will be poorer under Labour’s social engineering ploy

Pat McFadden should stop wasting time tinkering with civil service selection procedures, and direct his energy at addressing inequities in school provision.

Aug 01, 2025

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At first sight, Labour quiet man Pat McFadden appears to have little in common with Tory loudmouth Dominic Cummings, Number 10’s number one disrupter in the Boris Johnson era.

But it now transpires they share a contempt for the current make-up of the civil service and a determination to reimagine it in their own image.

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A guest post by

Jenny Hjul

Jenny Hjul is a newspaper and magazine journalist and columnist. She has contributed to national, regional and trade titles for more than 30 years, working in London, Sydney, Edinburgh and now back in London again.