Throughout Britain, Civil Servants are exposed to public scrutiny today in unprecedented ways. What does it mean that the political neutrality of the Civil Service has only been enshrined in law since 2010, nearly 150 years after it was first proposed? Why is it so important for politicians to trust Civil Servants (and what difficulties arise when they do not)? 

Coauthored by former First Civil Service Commissioner David Normington and historian Peter Hennessy, The Power of Whitehall provides answers through rich observations about the nature of the British Civil Service, its values and effectiveness, and how it should continue to adapt to a changing world.

David Normington is a retired Civil Servant who between 2011 and 2016 served as both the First Civil Service Commissioner and the Commissioner for Public Appointments for the British government. Peter Hennessy was Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London and the author of numerous works on British history. Claire Foster-Gilbert is currently member of the British Medical Association’s Medical Ethics Committee, Unilever’s Central Research Ethics Advisory Committee, and the McDonald Centre for public theology and ethics.