UK Public Servants: International Secondments Debate
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Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
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UK Public Servants: International Secondments
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Excerpts(1 day, 9 hours ago)
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Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)
My Lords, it is right that we expect the highest standards of our civil servants, but what does my noble friend make of the statement that emanated from Reform UK that a Reform UK Government would expect to dismiss the top civil servants in every government department and replace them with people seen as more likely to implement the party’s priorities? Does she agree that if we go down that path, we will undermine the integrity of the Civil Service and do this country a great disservice?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My noble friend is absolutely right, and it suggests quite how unserious Reform UK is about governing. We have an independent Civil Service for a reason. It acts without fear or favour; it is subject to a stringent code of conduct, and it is there to make sure that our public services are delivered. Any suggestion otherwise is for the birds.