Joint letter from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Secretary
Published 23 November 2020
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1. ALL MINISTERS AND PERMANENT SECRETARIES
The relationship between Ministers and Civil Servants is one of the foundation stones in our system of government. An effective relationship between Ministers and officials is vital to the success of any government - without it, we cannot deliver the services and support that the people of this country quite rightly demand of their government.
Given the unprecedented challenges we currently face as a nation, relationships of mutual trust and respect between politicians and their officials are paramount. This includes keeping internal conversations private. We should also feel able to speak constructively about things that are not working, so that we can fix them together promptly. There is a particular duty on Ministers and Permanent Secretaries to create jointly across government a culture which is professional respectful, focused and ambitious for change and in which there is no place for bullying.
We are enormously to you all for the commitment you have shown as we navigate through these challenging times. We are also immensely proud of the fantastic work that is going on across Government, and know that this work would not have been possible without strong relationships between Ministers and their officials.
Never has it been more important that we work as one team. Let’s put strong working relationships between Ministers and their officials at the heart of this Government.