Keep Maude on to save more money

He will deliver about a quarter of this year’s spending scaleback. Why not let him co-plan the post-election spending review – and get yet more value for money?

How to stop our politicians from thinking for themselves

Loneliness is a killer, but the absence of solitude deadens the mind.

Stephen Hammond MP: Why we need a Department for Infrastucture

It would bring coherence and skill to project implementation and management – and there are plenty of others to be abolished or amalgamated.

The NHS policies of the two main parties: essentially the same

The people working on the NHS frontline might not be perfect, but they are in a better position to know what’s what than ministers and officials.

WATCH: Heywood has Cameron “completely by the balls”. Dominic Cummings lets fly.

Michael Gove’s former Special Adviser speaks to the IPPR.

Cameron says that too many politicians have offered “easy answers”. True. So where are the hard ones?

As next May draws nearer, no political party is yet facing up to the scale of challenge of deficit reduction.

Peter Hoskin: Tory Reform 3) Francis Maude – A man with a programme for another five years

The Tories may have been unprepared for Civil Service reform in 2010, but the same won’t happen in 2015. The plan is already in place and already working.

Immigration won’t win the Conservatives the election

Cameron shouldn’t abandon his campaign on the economy and security.

Another victory in Maude’s struggle to change the culture of the Civil Service

The Prime Minister will have more influence in the appointment of senior officials. That should help Whitehall know who’s boss.  

Meet John Manzoni, the new guardian of Civil Service reform

Or is he? Much will depend on how much support this businessman within Whitehall gets from No.10.

Allow Government to fail and JFDI, says Maude

What does JFDI mean? The minister tactfully translated it as “just do it”.

Maude’s new union reforms are a start – but they won’t sate backbench hunger for more

Ending check-off and the rolling mandate would be welcome – but we should still demand majority mandates for strike action.

Personal attacks ought to stop, but the nature of Westminster means that they won’t

The Fiona Cunningham case shone more light on our politics’ culture of briefing and counter-briefing. Despite Cameron’s promises, it’s never really gone away.

Cutting the number of Whitehall departments is missing the point

To distract their critics, Labour’s Treasury team will make a big thing of the administrative savings they intend to make

Heresy of the week: We should think about independence for Yorkshire

For all the progress on localisation made by some ministers, the centralising instinct still lurks within Whitehall’s bosom