Cabinet Office

Responsibilities

The Cabinet Office's core functions are:

• Supporting collective government, helping to ensure the effective development, coordination, and implementation of policy;
• Supporting the National Security Council and the Joint Intelligence Organisation, coordinating the government's response to crises, and managing the UK's cyber security;
• Promoting efficiency and reform across government through innovation, transparency, better procurement, and project management, transforming the delivery of services, and improving the capability of the Civil Service;
• Political and constitutional reform

The Cabinet Office has responsibility for the following at the UK national level:

• the Home Civil Service
• the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
• the Government Commercial Function and the Government Commercial Organisation.
• the government's digital, data, and technology (DDaT) function is through the Government Digital Service

History

The department was formed in December 1916 from the secretariat of the Committee of Imperial Defence under Sir Maurice Hankey, the first Cabinet Secretary.

Traditionally the most important part of the Cabinet Office's role was facilitating collective decision-making by the Cabinet, through running and supporting Cabinet-level committees. This is still its principal role, but since the absorption of some of the functions of the Civil Service Department in 1981 the Cabinet Office has also helped to ensure that a wide range of Ministerial priorities are taken forward across Whitehall.

It also contains miscellaneous units that do not sit well in other departments. For example:

• The Historical Section was founded in 1906 as part of the Committee for Imperial Defence and is concerned with Official Histories.
• The Joint Intelligence Committee was founded in 1936 and transferred to the department in 1957. It deals with intelligence assessments and directing the national intelligence organisations of the UK.
• The Ceremonial Branch was founded in 1937 and transferred to the department in 1981. It was originally concerned with all ceremonial functions of state, but today it handles honours and appointments.

In modern times the Cabinet Office often takes on responsibility for areas of policy which are the priority of the Government of the time. The units that administer these areas migrate in and out of the Cabinet Office as government priorities (and governments) change.

Ministers and civil servants

Leaders of the Commons and Lords

Leaders of the Houses of Commons and Lords, supported by the Cabinet Office, are as follows:

Civil servants

The Cabinet Office's most senior civil servants are as follows, as of February 2025:

The Cabinet Office also supports the work of the Whips Offices of the House of Lords and House of Commons.

The Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Cabinet Office supports the work of ministers.

Committees

Main article: United Kingdom cabinet committee

Cabinet committees have two key purposes:

• To relieve the burden on the Cabinet by dealing with business that does not need to be discussed at full Cabinet. Appeals to the Cabinet should be infrequent, and Ministers chairing Cabinet Committees should exercise discretion in advising the prime minister whether to allow them.
• To support the principle of collective responsibility by ensuring that, even though a question may never reach the Cabinet itself, it will be fully considered. In this way, the final judgement is sufficiently authoritative that Government as a whole can be expected to accept responsibility for it. In this sense, Cabinet Committee decisions have the same authority as Cabinet decisions.

Buildings

The main building of the Cabinet Office is at 70 Whitehall, adjacent to Downing Street. The building connects three historically distinct properties, as well as the remains of Henry VIII's 1530 tennis courts, part of the Palace of Whitehall, which can be seen within the building. The Whitehall frontage was designed by Sir John Soane and completed by Sir Charles Barry between 1845 and 1847 as the Treasury Buildings. Immediately to the west Dorset House (1700) connects the front of the building to William Kent's Treasury (1733–36), which faces out onto Horse Guards Parade. The latter is built over the site of the Cockpit, used for cock fighting in the Tudor period, and subsequently as a theatre. In the early 1960s the buildings were restored and many of the Tudor remains were exposed and repaired. Significant renovations between 2010 and 2016 converted many of the floors to open plan and created new office space. The Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms are located on this site.

The department occupies other buildings in Whitehall and the surrounding area, including part of the Government Offices Great George Street at 1 Horse Guards, as well as sites in other parts of the country.

References

References

1. "Civil service employment – Table 9, Row 23". Office for National Statistics.
2. (2011). "Budget 2011". HM Treasury.
3. This should be distinguished from the prime minister's personal staff who form the [[10 Downing Street. Prime Minister's Office]].
4. "Cabinet Office, About Us". HM Government.
5. [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/711988/Rich_Picture.jpg Government Commercial Function: Looking to the Future], accessed 5 May 2019
6. Government Commercial Function, [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-commercial-organisation Government Commercial Organisation], published 5 June 2018, accessed 5 May 2019
7. [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-data-and-technology-functional-standard-version-1#digital-data-and-technology Government Functional Standard GovS 005: Digital, Data and Technology], published 2 July 2020, accessed 26 Nov 2020
8. "Research Guide: Cabinet Office Records – Your Archives".
9. "National Archive Series reference CAB 103".
10. "Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – GOV.UK".
11. "Minister for Intergovernmental Relations – GOV.UK".
12. "Prime Minister appoints Chief Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor: 1 September 2025 – GOV.UK".
13. "Minister for the Cabinet Office – GOV.UK".
14. "Minister of State for Investment – GOV.UK".
15. (2024-12-09). "Cabinet Office".
16. "Sir Chris Wormald KCB".
17. "Catherine Little CB".
18. "Sarah Harrison".
19. "Simon Baugh".
20. "Gareth Rhys Williams".
21. "Christine Bellamy".
22. "Richard Hornby".
23. "Vincent Devine".
24. "Kathryn Al-Shemmeri".
25. "Darren Tierney".
26. "Appointment of Jonathan Powell as National Security Adviser".
27. "Madeleine Alessandri CMG".
28. "Clara Swinson".
29. (2008). "A Guide to Cabinet and Cabinet Committee Business". Cabinet Office.