Civil Service

The purpose of the Civil Service is to serve impartially the democratically elected government of the day by supporting it to develop and implement its policies and deliver efficient public services for citizens of the United Kingdom.

The Cabinet Secretary’s objectives for 2026-27 include a number of points in respect of the Civil Service, including ensuring the Civil Service retains the confidence of all political parties by demonstrating impartiality and integrity. An important part of delivering this will be via the Cabinet Secretary’s commitment to:

• refreshing the Civil Service Code to ensure it is up to date, well understood, and adhered to across the Civil Service. The Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants including acting in a way which deserves and retains the confidence of ministers, while at the same time ensuring the ability to establish the same relationship with those whom they may be required to serve in some future government; and

• ensuring Cabinet Secretariat processes are fit for the modern age, including the Cabinet Manual, which sets out the main laws, rules and conventions affecting the conduct and operation of Government, that do not change from one government to the next. It is intended as an authoritative guide for Ministers and civil servants, and to make the operation of Government open and accessible to Parliament and the public.