The Intimacy of Power An insight into private office, Whitehall’s most sensitive network
By Alun Evans
The United Kingdom, famously, does not have a written constitution. Rather, our political system has been shaped not by revolution, foreign invasion or dictatorship but by a series of principles and conventions that have emerged and been tested, then accepted.
But one part of that system has never received any detailed scrutiny: the private office – the small group made up mainly of civil servants who support and advise every minister of the Crown, from the Prime Minister down to the most junior of ministers. Private secretaries inevitably have, by dint of their access to ministers and the Prime Minister, massive influence.
However, in recent years, ministerial pressures for a politicised private office have inevitably brought the civil service into conflict with the government.
With exceptional access to former Prime Ministers and decision-makers, Alun Evans describes what the private office is and why it matters and – following the egregious constitutional breaches of the Johnson premiership – argues for a reversion to the previous arrangements whereby the private office truly can be, once again, the independent junction box of government and a vital part of the British constitution.
Reviews
“If you want to penetrate the mysteries of a secretive organisation, it is best to start with its back channels. Alun Evans does this for Whitehall private offices with great insight, aplomb and insider knowledge. If you have ever wondered how government at the top really works, open these pages.”
Peter Hennessy
“I warmly commend Alun Evans’s detailed and comprehensive account of the role and history of ministerial private offices in Britain. This has been a neglected subject in political studies, but it is an important piece in the jigsaw of British governance.”
Robin Butler, former Cabinet Secretary
“Anyone with an interest in how No. 10 works in reality should study this brilliant book about the private office, its history and pivotal role in government.”
Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff to Tony Blair
Share this book
Buy this book
- Hardback, 432 pages
- ISBN: 9781785908323
-
28 May 2024
Available to pre-order - £25.00
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781785908873
-
28 May 2024
Available to pre-order - £19.99