How to start a new government

You’ve just been handed the keys to No 10. Allow yourself 20 minutes of elation, take a quick look around the place, give Larry a stroke and then get on with the job.

Be ambitious – but don’t try and boil the ocean. Despite announcing nearly 150 pledges during the campaign, the vast majority will either be unworkable or simply unachievable in the time-frame. You must prioritise ruthlessly and give clear direction to that effect. There is nothing more paralysing than a No 10 that sits on things or lacks clarity.

Use the urgency of the crisis to have a very real attempt at reform of the system. Not many prime ministers in recent history have had so much experience in so many different departments. Use this working knowledge to hold departments to account and eradicate wasteful siloes and duplication.

Your team in Downing Street can make or break you. Do not surround yourself with power hungry maniacs – it will end badly. Nor with yes men. Instead they need to be a smart mix of ability, strength, and determination.

They also need to be courteous and have an opendoor policy on your behalf. Tell them to answer their phones and return messages. They are your eyes and ears. The best prime ministerial consiglieres have certainly had iron fists in velvet gloves but have been bright enough not to make needless enemies. The Cabinet may be your allies but outreach and advocacy to the wider world needs to be done properly.

And as boring as it sounds, your diary needs to be managed well. You are not a dentist, you are the Prime Minister. Meeting after meeting with no head space or thinking time is not the answer to good leadership. And whatever you do don’t forget to eat – there is a great café in the basement of No 10 – take time to go there – that’s where you really find out what’s going on in the place.