We support the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government. We are also the corporate headquarters for government, in partnership with HM Treasury, and we take the lead in certain critical policy areas.
Andy Burnham
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Cabinet Office does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to Make provision about the maximum number of salaries that may be paid under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 in respect of certain Ministerial offices.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2026 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to remove the remaining connection between hereditary peerage and membership of the House of Lords; to make provision about resignation from the House of Lords; to abolish the jurisdiction of the House of Lords in relation to claims to hereditary peerages; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th March 2026 and was enacted into law.
A bill to Make provision for persons of the Roman Catholic faith to be eligible to hold the office of His Majesty’s High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to extend the period within which vacancies among the Lords Spiritual are to be filled by bishops who are women.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th January 2025 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
I would like there to be another General Election.
I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.
We want an immediate general election to be held. We think the majority need and want change.
Apply for the UK to join the European Union as a full member as soon as possible
Gov Responded - 19 Nov 2024 Debated on - 24 Mar 2025I believe joining the EU would boost the economy, increase global influence, improve collaboration and provide stability & freedom. I believe that Brexit hasn't brought any tangible benefit and there is no future prospect of any, that the UK has changed its mind and that this should be recognised.
Facility time is provided to undertake trade union duties and activities. A non-exhaustive list of trade union duties and activities can be found within the ACAS Code of Practice.
There is no requirement to work in a specific location for a Fast Stream programme. Fast Streamers are deployed across the UK based on departmental requirements.
The Cabinet Office currently has one registered formal trade dispute regarding pay, raised by Unite the Union on behalf of its members who work in the Government Car Service. Unite the Union has not yet balloted its members for industrial action.
The Cabinet Secretary is leading the Review into the organisation, performance and transformation of the permanent Civil Service, supported as necessary by a small team of existing civil servants based in the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The Cabinet Office has recorded twenty lost mobile phones, and one stolen phone since July 2026.
Cabinet Office's Security Breach Policy requires all individuals to follow directions from Cabinet Office Security when there is a security breach, such as theft of Cabinet Office electronics. As part of its standard operating procedures Cabinet Office Security will log any loss and will direct individuals to report any stolen items to the police and request a crime reference number.
Directors General remain Senior Responsible Officers for overseeing delivery of key government priorities.
The Debarment Review Service (DRS) does not routinely publish or disclose figures on the number of cases currently being considered for potential investigation.
The time taken to consider a case varies according to its complexity, including the scope of evidence and information the referrer has provided which in turn the DRS has to consider and assess. DRS aims to progress each case in line with its published protocol.
To date, no investigations have resulted in a supplier being added to the debarment list.
The Debarment Review Service (DRS) does not routinely publish or disclose figures on the number of cases currently being considered for potential investigation.
The time taken to consider a case varies according to its complexity, including the scope of evidence and information the referrer has provided which in turn the DRS has to consider and assess. DRS aims to progress each case in line with its published protocol.
To date, no investigations have resulted in a supplier being added to the debarment list.
The Debarment Review Service (DRS) does not routinely publish or disclose figures on the number of cases currently being considered for potential investigation.
The time taken to consider a case varies according to its complexity, including the scope of evidence and information the referrer has provided which in turn the DRS has to consider and assess. DRS aims to progress each case in line with its published protocol.
To date, no investigations have resulted in a supplier being added to the debarment list.
Publication of the Civil Service Strategic Workforce Plan has been delayed to ensure it is fully aligned with the vision and transformation ambitions set out by the Cabinet Secretary and the Prime Minister’s proposals to re-wire the state. This includes ambitions to establish devolution as a core principle of this Government, and to ensure the plan reflects the Cabinet Secretary’s clear ambition for an AI-enabled state.
Further details will be shared in due course.
Publication of the Civil Service Strategic Workforce Plan has been delayed to ensure it is fully aligned with the vision and transformation ambitions set out by the Cabinet Secretary and the Prime Minister’s proposals to re-wire the state. This includes ambitions to establish devolution as a core principle of this Government, and to ensure the plan reflects the Cabinet Secretary’s clear ambition for an AI-enabled state.
Further details will be shared in due course.
The Government does not maintain an aggregated assessment of departmental dependency on Microsoft software or cloud services. Departments are responsible for selecting technology that meets their needs, in line with security, resilience, procurement and value-for-money requirements. The Cloud First policy does not require use of Microsoft, and departments may procure competing products and services, including from other major cloud providers. The Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 secures preferential discounts for eligible public sector organisations but is not a direct route to market; departments must still run compliant procurement processes. Cabinet Office and DCMS continue to monitor the market, including the CMA’s investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, and will consider its findings when published.
The Government does not maintain an aggregated assessment of departmental dependency on Microsoft software or cloud services. Departments are responsible for selecting technology that meets their needs, in line with security, resilience, procurement and value-for-money requirements. The Cloud First policy does not require use of Microsoft, and departments may procure competing products and services, including from other major cloud providers. The Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 secures preferential discounts for eligible public sector organisations but is not a direct route to market; departments must still run compliant procurement processes. Cabinet Office and DCMS continue to monitor the market, including the CMA’s investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, and will consider its findings when published.
No10 North exists to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level. The initial team includes people loaned from a range of government departments and secondees from local government.
No10 North exists to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level. The initial team includes people loaned from a range of government departments and secondees from local government.
The National School has strong existing relationships across government and with UK universities. We currently have one embedded UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) research fellow with another UKRI-funded fellow due to start shortly. We recently launched our College of Experts at Evidence Exchange, an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project. The College of Experts is a set of academic and external experts who can bring insight to and advise on all aspects of the National School’s work. We have also published our priority research topics, a strategic framework of long-term questions where external research and evidence can most effectively inform our work.
The CMA launched its Strategic Market Status designation investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem on 14 May 2026.
This investigation must be completed within 9 months. An indicative timetable of this investigation is published on the CMA’s website. The CMA operates independently and decisions on which firms to investigate, and how these investigations are conducted rest solely with the CMA.
The Civil Service values its people, invests in their growth, and is serious about building the capability to meet the challenges of the future. This autumn, the National School of Government and Public Services will formally open its doors to civil servants. The learning the school provides will boost public sector productivity and accelerate the pace of progress towards delivering the excellent, digitally-enabled public services to be expected from a modern state.
The Cabinet Office’s Investment Committee decision to proceed with direct awards instead of competitive tendering was driven by the need to ensure short-term service continuity. The direct awards give short-term contracts to the incumbent suppliers (EY and KPMG) and allow the Civil Service to continue to access quality assured, value for money training services in the period up to April 2028.
The training provided through these contracts is designed to help modernise the Civil Service and to deliver the Government’s policy platform, ensuring equitable access for regional civil service hubs. The strategic priorities for learning currently include digital, data and innovation (including AI) and leadership and management. Better leadership and management skills are essential to improve performance and increase productivity, and to lead the changes that come with digital transformation.
We maintain rigorous oversight of service efficacy through quarterly reviews of performance data, including service level agreements, learner feedback, and operational metrics, collected by the Cabinet Office from our incumbent suppliers and shared across the Civil Service to ensure training consistently meets our requirements.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement allows for UK participation in EU programmes, with decisions made on a case by case basis and subject to negotiation. We recognise the value of the UK associating to EU programmes where this is in line with the national interest, as demonstrated by our participation in Horizon Europe, Copernicus and the PEACEPLUS programme in Northern Ireland and Ireland. However, participation in Interreg Europe has not been discussed.
As recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has operational independence from the Government. IBCA’s Board takes decisions on the organisation’s progress and performance, and publishes recordings and minutes of its meetings.
Whilst the roll out of the Scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, I fully support its commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible. As the Minister, I will assist in any way I can to speed up the payments.
The Government takes these risks extremely seriously. It is a good thing that the companies developing the most advanced AI systems are now talking openly about the risks as well as the opportunities. The UK’s AI Security Institute is in daily conversation with industry partners on AI security and is working closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems. Further detail is provided in Written Statement UIN HCWS314 'Artificial intelligence update'.
The UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This collaboration lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves, and has allowed AISI to secure privileged access that has identified dozens of vulnerabilities that developers fixed before public release. AISI is in daily conversation with industry partners and works closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to the Machinery of Government to rewire the state and drive economic growth across the country, including transforming how the Government is structured to approach science, innovation and technology, including AI.
The UK stands at a critical juncture where unprecedented global changes demand that we secure our position as a world leader in AI, science and technology. In this context, we cannot see science and technology as an isolated issue, limited to one department, but instead as a major priority that cuts across the whole of government and is vital to the UK’s future economic prosperity.
Recognising this, the functions of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) have been redistributed to align with the Government’s core economic and social agenda.
The Prime Minister is focused on delivering for working people across the country, no matter where they live or their background.
There are currently no plans to establish the No10 North office within the Manchester Digital Campus. Consequently, the outline business case will not be reviewed on this basis.
The Manchester Digital Campus programme continues to progress as set out in the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Major Projects Annual Report 2025 to 2026.
The National School of Government and Public Services will provide world-class learning and development for civil servants, supporting public sector excellence and preparing our people for the future. Our new in-house delivery model will move away from reliance on professional services firms, ensuring learning is designed and delivered by civil servants for civil servants, working with the best external training providers, including universities.
In the meantime, the EY and KPMG contracts include the option of commissioning UK universities and specialist training providers to deliver training to the Civil Service.
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS325) made on 10 September 2026.
Details of Ministers’ and certain Senior Officials' meetings with external organisations and individuals are published by departments quarterly in arrears on their departmental pages on GOV.UK. The most recent data - for the period January 2026 to March 2026 - was published on 25 June.
No refurbishment of Heron House was undertaken. The cost of establishing No10 North in Heron House is from the existing budget of the Cabinet Office. Associated costs will be accounted for in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
No refurbishment of Heron House was undertaken. The cost of establishing No10 North in Heron House is from the existing budget of the Cabinet Office. Associated costs will be accounted for in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
No London-based staff are assigned permanently to the Manchester location.
Gross annual administrative costs cannot yet be provided. The costs for running No.10 North will be found from existing departmental budgets. Teams transferring into No.10 North from other Government Departments as part of machinery of Government moves are expected to transfer with the relevant budget currently available to them.
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 prohibit the compilation, usage, sale or supply of blacklists of trade union members.
Suppliers may be excluded for blacklisting offences under the Procurement Act exclusion regime in certain circumstances. We will make use of those powers where there is evidence of wrongdoing.
A secondment is a move on a temporary basis into or out of the Civil Service from an organisation in the public, private or voluntary sector that is not operating under the Civil Service pension scheme arrangements. The Propriety and Constitution Group sits within the Cabinet Office. Any recruitment coming from other areas of the Civil Service would therefore not be considered secondments.
Delivering the Prime Minister’s priorities is a task for the entire Government. The integrated team is a flexible, cross-cutting capability that collaborates from across departments; it does not constitute a single named unit.
Details of Ministers’ and certain Senior Officials' meetings with external organisations and individuals are published by departments quarterly in arrears on their departmental pages on GOV.UK. The most recent data - for the period April 2026 to June 2026 - was published on 24 September.
The publication referred to was ‘Update on the Government response to the Humble Address motion’ which was published on 1 June 2026.
The annual estates-based administrative cost for the Cabinet Office’s Second Headquarters in Glasgow is £2,557,541 for financial year 2025/26. There has been no expansion since our initial occupancy and no expansion is planned; therefore, there will be no additional administrative costs for this.
The department maintains an internal strategic plan as a tool for internal planning and performance management.
There is a long-standing principle that public bodies, including NDPBs and executive agencies, must be politically impartial, and must ensure the proper use of public money at all times. All public bodies must comply with the rules on lobbying. Public bodies must never employ external firms or consultants to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, the Government or political parties. This includes firms and consultants engaged in stakeholder management.
The advisers were based in the Number 10 communications team, and in the former Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster’s office, alongside officials in the Government Communication Service.
In line with usual practice, administrative costs to implement Machinery of Government changes will be met within existing departmental settlements.
The funding uplift announced for the Intelligence and Security Committee is intended to uphold the Committee's independence and operational effectiveness.
Under these financial arrangements, decisions regarding resource allocation - including the commissioning of independent legal advice separate from the Government Legal Service and the Cabinet Office - rest entirely with the Committee.
The Government Communications Service is currently finalising its 2026 annual data collection, therefore the figures provided below are from the 2025 annual data collection.
Staffing figures across the central teams are as follows:
Number 10 Civil Service Communications Team: 44.8 FTE.
Core Cabinet Office Communications Roles: 40.43 FTE (including 22 roles within the Press Office and Cabinet Office Digital Communications).
Central GCS Team (Cabinet Office-based): 191.52 FTE in total, comprising 141.52 FTE communications roles and 50 FTE non-communications roles.
Information on roles specifically related to video production and social media content is not held.
Overall headcount stood at 6,120.35 FTE in 2024, compared to 5,950.54 FTE in 2025. Please note that these figures are not directly comparable due to differences in the specific organisations submitting returns across the 2024 and 2025 collection cycles.
The Government Communications Service is currently finalising its 2026 annual data collection, therefore the figures provided below are from the 2025 annual data collection.
Staffing figures across the central teams are as follows:
Number 10 Civil Service Communications Team: 44.8 FTE.
Core Cabinet Office Communications Roles: 40.43 FTE (including 22 roles within the Press Office and Cabinet Office Digital Communications).
Central GCS Team (Cabinet Office-based): 191.52 FTE in total, comprising 141.52 FTE communications roles and 50 FTE non-communications roles.
Information on roles specifically related to video production and social media content is not held.
Overall headcount stood at 6,120.35 FTE in 2024, compared to 5,950.54 FTE in 2025. Please note that these figures are not directly comparable due to differences in the specific organisations submitting returns across the 2024 and 2025 collection cycles.
The Government Communications Service is currently finalising its 2026 annual data collection, therefore the figures provided below are from the 2025 annual data collection.
Staffing figures across the central teams are as follows:
Number 10 Civil Service Communications Team: 44.8 FTE.
Core Cabinet Office Communications Roles: 40.43 FTE (including 22 roles within the Press Office and Cabinet Office Digital Communications).
Central GCS Team (Cabinet Office-based): 191.52 FTE in total, comprising 141.52 FTE communications roles and 50 FTE non-communications roles.
Information on roles specifically related to video production and social media content is not held.
Overall headcount stood at 6,120.35 FTE in 2024, compared to 5,950.54 FTE in 2025. Please note that these figures are not directly comparable due to differences in the specific organisations submitting returns across the 2024 and 2025 collection cycles.
The Future Civil Service Group (formerly Government People Group) continues to work closely with SCS Recruitment leads nominated by each core Government department to support and enable the implementation of best practice, and making relevant changes to their hiring practices to target people with frontline delivery, innovation and private-sector skills and experience.
In July 2026, departments were surveyed to confirm their adoption of the new criteria. 80% confirmed they had fully implemented this for all relevant roles and 20% were finalising changes in practice to ensure compliance for relevant roles going forward.
There are no plans to publish this data or to gather more data centrally currently.
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given by my right honourable friend the Minister, on 8 September 2026 in response to UIN 21221 in the House of Commons:
The Government does not routinely comment on specific security threats. Any National Cyber Security Centre assessments concerning particular individuals or organisations, and any reports it receives, are treated in confidence. The NCSC has published guidance to support political organisations in strengthening their cyber security, available at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/defending-democracy/political-organisations.