Committee publication · Correspondence · 27 January 2026
Letter from Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the proposal for modernising the state, dated 20.1.26
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Inquiry: The work of the Cabinet Office
Summary
Chief Secretary Darren Jones outlines the government's modernisation agenda to remove bureaucratic barriers in Whitehall and improve civil service performance. The letter announces five interventions: rolling out 'Project Reset' from April 2026; creating flexible taskforces modelled on the Vaccine Taskforce; expanding the No10 Innovation Fellows programme; reforming senior civil service recruitment and pay; and establishing a National School of Government and Public Services.
Key findings
- Project Reset framework, launched by Jones as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will be rolled out across government from April 2026 to remove bureaucratic layers and enable civil servants to 'move fast and fix things'
- New taskforces will be deployed across Whitehall with ability to recruit quickly, bring in external expertise on short-term appointments, procure faster, and take more risks with direct ministerial sponsorship
- No10 Innovation Fellows programme will expand to increase external challenge and specialist digital skills with data-first, digital-first approach to modernising public services
- Senior civil service recruitment, pay and performance structures will be reformed to incentivise innovation and increase accountability across the system
- National School of Government and Public Services will be launched to bring training in-house, align with government priorities including AI, and reduce spending on external training
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Darren Jones MP, Simon Hoare MP, Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, No10 Innovation Fellows, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Liaison Committee
Notable line
“… rewiring Whitehall; and build towards a new state with modernised public services, that can move fast and fix things”
Key Quotes
“| want to address underlying barriers to delivering on this governments agenda by rewiring Whitehall; and build towards a new state with modernised public services, that can move fast and fix things after years of low public sector productivity.”
“From April 2026, this new framework will be rolled out across government, allowing civil servants to move fast and fix things.”
“Learning from the successes of the 'Vaccine Taskforce' model, taskforces will be able to recruit quicker, bring in external expertise on short-term appointments, procure faster and take more risks, supported by a direct line to the top of government and direct Ministerial sponsorship.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗