The Prime Minister has made a number of changes to the machinery of government to rewire the state, change the geography of government to deliver a stronger, more strategic centre that empowers local leaders, and acts as the engine room for driving economic growth across the whole country. The changes include
Number 10, Cabinet Office, the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the OneGov Delivery Agency
Number 10 North
To ensure places are at the very heart of government strategy, the Prime Minister has established No.10 North as the engine room of devolution and good growth in every postcode, across government and the wider economy.
This will include transfers of a number of strategic functions into No.10 North, including moving
- Local economic growth and devolution strategy from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
- Local economic growth policy from HM Treasury.
These changes will ensure that local economic growth policy and regional empowerment are no longer isolated from one another, establishing this No.10 North as the dominant driver of the UK’s economy.
Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet
To ensure the centre of government is focused on delivering the Government’s top strategic priorities, the Prime Minister has created an Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (OPMC). The OPMC will house No.10, No.10 North and core Cabinet Office functions serving the PM and Cabinet.
The OPMC will include a new AI Taskforce, supported by a Prime Ministerial adviser on AI, to drive the Government’s overall strategy on AI and unlock the opportunities it holds for growth, prosperity and public sector transformation.
The Cabinet Office will also take the lead on AI adoption across the Civil Service, reflecting the urgency of delivering that transformation for the benefit of people across the country.
To deliver this step change, responsibility for AI strategy, public sector AI adoption and the AI Security Institute will move to the Cabinet Office.
OneGov Delivery Agency
A new OneGov Delivery Agency will be established within the Cabinet Office Family to manage operational services at arm’s length, including the Government Recruitment Service, Pensions, Shared Services, Government Car Service, and Security Vetting.
Cabinet Office functions moving to other Departments
As part of this overall restructuring, several functions will move out of the Cabinet Office to slim down the centre of government and align them with departments suited to their purpose
- The Office for Equality and Opportunity will move to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
- The Office for Impact Economy and responsibility for policy on digital identity will move to the newly expanded Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
- The Public Sector Fraud Authority will transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with continued sponsorship from HM Treasury.
- The Investment Security Unit will move to the Department for Business, Innovation Science and Trade (DBIST).
The newly expanded Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spans the culture and creativity of this great nation. The new structure brings together telecoms, media and the Government’s Digital Service (GDS). It will reflect the inseparable nature of culture and technology as drivers of our country and the modern economy.
Reflecting that traditional boundaries across the print, broadcasting and social media landscape have dissolved, it will provide coherent and strategic oversight, across telecoms, media and online safety to maintain the UK’s world-leading strengths in those sectors. This department will also continue to drive the modernisation of government and public services via the GDS.
The strengthened DCMS will also bring together levers on online safety, mis- and disinformation as we tackle ever more sophisticated challenges to keep people safe online. This will sit alongside its existing responsibilities on youth policy, providing an unprecedented focus on support.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
To signify our global leadership in science and innovation and maximise the growth they can contribute to the UK economy, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will be renamed to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST).
DBIST will focus on new and emerging sectors as part of the reindustrialisation agenda, providing end-to-end support from foundational research to starting and scaling-up innovative firms, and supporting infrastructure through stronger links to the British Business Bank and the National Wealth Fund.
DBIST will connect the UK’s world-class science and technology base directly to the businesses, places and workers that will drive good growth across the country.
Redistribution of the responsibilities of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology across other departments
The functions of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will be redistributed to align with the Government’s core economic and social agenda embedded as vital engines of growth exactly where they can have the most direct impact. This change recognises that technology and innovation are not separate sectors of our economy – they are the foundation of all future industry, culture, and public service delivery.