Conservative-labour power transfer talks ‘must start this month’

TALKS on the potential transfer of power from the Tories to Labour must start this month, a leading Whitehall think tank has warned.

The Institute for Government (IFG) has said time is running out to prepare the Civil Service for a new government led by Sir Keir Starmer. It issued the warning amid speculation – downplayed by senior Conservatives – that Rishi Sunak could call a snap election in May. Officials usually begin discussing how they would enact the policies of the Opposition more than a year from the public vote. The process is designed to ensure that the Whitehall machine is ready and the party coming into power can hit the ground running. But the “access talks” have been delayed, with the Prime Minister reportedly refusing to pre-authorise the Civil Service to start them. Sir Keir is also yet to request permission to begin talking to Whitehall officials about his prospective programme for government.

Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, is said to have raised the issue with Mr Sunak shortly before taking sick leave last October. Experts at the IFG warned that if discussions do not start this month it may be too late to get mandarins up to speed before the election.

Emma Norris, the think tank’s deputy director, said: “The final months before a general election are a critical time for any opposition party.

“Whilst campaigning will always come first – and there is understandable pressure to avoid looking complacent about victory – preparation for governing is most important in this period.

“When done well, it provides a foundation for faster, more enduring policy change and for more effective and stable government.”

The think tank said Sir Keir should finalise his policy platform swiftly so that he is ready to hold a King’s Speech “within weeks of taking power”, and hand over details of his plans, including who he intends to appoint as special advisers, to Whitehall in advance. But the Labour leader may be reluctant to do so, given the risk his proposals could make their way into the public domain and be poached by the Tories.

The IFG also said Sir Keir must resist the temptation to reshuffle his experienced top team again before the election. Three of his current frontbenchers served in Cabinets under Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, while Sue Gray, his chief of staff, was a senior civil servant.