The Prime Minister's ambitious reshuffle of Whitehall has sparked intense scrutiny over its potential impact on the UK's economic strategy. Andy Burnham's decision to establish a powerful new government department, the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC), marks a significant shift in the administration's approach to centralising power. At its core, this move seeks to create a dominant force capable of driving growth across the country.
The OPMC will oversee operations at No 10 Downing Street in London and its new counterpart, No 10 North, based in Manchester. A key aspect of this restructuring involves relocating teams responsible for local growth and devolution from the Treasury and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to the Manchester unit. The government statement notes that this move aims to integrate "local economic growth policy and regional empowerment" under a single entity.
Changes to the Cabinet Office include the creation of OneGov, a new agency under Antonia Romeo, which will handle government HR functions such as pensions, recruitment, and security vetting. Other sections are being transferred to various departments; for instance, the equality office will move to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, digital ID to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the public sector fraud authority to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Relocation packages will be offered to civil servants willing to transfer from London to Manchester to facilitate the establishment of No 10 North. Whitehall sources indicate that substantial incentives will be necessary to encourage staff with existing local growth roles in the capital to relocate, ensuring a swift implementation of the new structure.
The reshuffle also sees the abolition of the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation, with many functions returning to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The responsibility for Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be housed within the OPMC, with a new prime ministerial adviser on AI and Minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, gaining a Cabinet seat.