A former senior adviser to Prime Minister Keir Starmer has launched a stinging critique of the government's ability to deliver, blaming a labyrinth of regulations and a powerful "political perma-class" for slowing progress on key policies.
The 'Stakeholder State' and a System of Distractions
Paul Ovenden, who resigned from Downing Street in September, argued that the government is being hobbled by what he termed the "supremacy of the stakeholder state". He described this as a "complex coalition of campaign groups, regulators, litigators, trade bodies and well-networked organisations" that saps time and energy from core voter priorities.
Ovenden, a close adviser to Starmer since his time in opposition, cited specific examples where he believed the administration had become distracted. He highlighted the significant effort spent on the case of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, which he said became a "totem of the ceaseless sapping of time and energy by people obsessed with fringe issues" among colleagues. Other cited distractions included debates over colonial reparations and banning smoking in pub gardens.
He claimed this system is "incubated by a political perma-class that exists within every party and every department", whose focus is on preserving their own status. His solution is for a government with a "stiffened spine and renewed purpose" to dismantle much of this apparatus quickly.
Downing Street's Lever-Pulling Problem
Ovenden's analysis finds sympathy at the highest levels. Prime Minister Starmer himself complained last month about the barriers to swift action, stating: "Every time I go to pull a lever there are a whole bunch of regulations, consultations, [and] arm’s-length bodies that mean that the action from pulling the lever to delivery is longer than I think it ought to be."
However, governance experts and union leaders were quick to point out that the power to change this system ultimately rests with ministers themselves. Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, acknowledged the difficulty of getting things done but questioned Ovenden's framing. "Government should be talking to people," he said, identifying the core problems as a weak centre in a highly centralised state, a lack of expertise, and poor performance management.
Ministers Hold the Power to Reform, Say Critics
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union for senior civil servants, offered a blunt assessment. "If you think that’s got to change, it’s only there because ministers put it there in the first place. The civil service didn’t put it there. And it can only change if there’s strong political will to change it," he said.
This sentiment was echoed by former Labour advisers. John McTernan, an aide to Tony Blair, argued ministers must take responsibility, stating the government's biggest errors were made by No 10 and the Treasury. "This is a government that is always getting its own way but is always looking for someone else to blame for the consequences of its own actions," he said.
Tom Baldwin, Starmer's biographer, warned that focusing on Whitehall reform could itself become a distraction from the public's main concerns. He suggested the Prime Minister would prefer to focus on "issues that really matter to the public like living standards, public services, immigration and the intensely dangerous situation abroad."
The government declined to comment on Ovenden's intervention, his first public remarks since his resignation. His departure, following the emergence of inappropriate messages sent about MP Diane Abbott eight years ago, was seen as a significant blow to Starmer's inner circle.
