There are concerns in Downing Street that Burnham’s ‘No10 North’ will not be sufficiently resourced to work properly. Rendering it a pointless cost…
As Guido revealed this week Cabinet Office civil servants are being offered handsome packages to relocate to No10 North, which will be based at Heron House in Manchester. Staff will also have the opportunity to travel up to the building to see if they like the ‘vibe’…
Sam Lister, who was DBT’s director general for industrial strategy, will be the director general for No10 North. This has worried some government insiders – one No10 source tells Guido:
“No10 North is risky. None of us think the civil servants are taking it seriously yet. It needs a permanent secretary to be based there, not just a director general.”
Cabinet Office permanent secretary Cat Little is accused by Downing Street sources of “protecting her empire” in the ongoing transformation of the centre. If more senior leadership doesn’t make it to the Northern unit a No10 source says “it’ll never be more than a gimmick.” If you thought ministers were bad when it came to power hunger, the Senior Civil Service is something else…
Robert Jenrick told a rally on Monday:
“They say Chancellors are either undertakers or bookies. This one is an ostrich – and when the Chancellor buries his head in the sand, the rest of us, we’re left staring at his you know what.”