Number 10 Policy Unit

Since 2010

The Coalition Government of May 2010 quickly disbanded two major parts of central infrastructure built by Tony Blair, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (PMDU) and Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (PMSU), as part of the Prime Minister's agenda to reduce the number of special advisers and end the micromanagement of Whitehall. In their place, a strengthened Policy and Implementation Unit was launched in early 2011 by the Cabinet Secretary, staffed wholly by civil servants and reporting jointly to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under joint heads Paul Kirby (Policy) and Kris Murrin (Implementation).

Members of the Policy Unit in 2010 were Gavin Lockhart-Mirams (Home Affairs), Sean Worth (Health and Adult Social Care), Chris Brown (Education), Richard Freer (Defence), Tim Luke (Business and Enterprise), Michael Lynas (Big Society) and Ben Moxham (Energy and Environment). The Unit was supported by the Research and Analytics Unit.

Since 2019

Munira Mirza was appointed director of the Policy Unit when Boris Johnson became prime minister. She had previously been Deputy Mayor of London with responsibility for Education and Culture under Johnson during his time as Mayor of London. Mirza resigned on 4 February 2022 after Johnson failed to apologise for making misleading remarks that implied that Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile while the latter was Director of Public Prosecutions.

Andrew Griffith MP was appointed to replace Mirza as the director of the Policy Unit until 8 July 2022. As a sitting MP, he was also appointed as Parliamentary Secretary (Minister for Policy and Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit). The role was left vacant from 8 July 2022, as Johnson announced his resignation as party leader, with a view to remaining as a caretaker prime minister until his successor had been chosen.

The vacant post was filled by Jamie Hope on 6 September 2022 as part of the short-lived Truss ministry.

When Rishi Sunak became prime minister in October 2022, Eleanor Shawcross, the daughter of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, William Shawcross and grand-daughter of the barrister Hartley Shawcross, became director of the Policy Unit. She had previously donated £20,000 to his leadership campaign, having advised him while he was Chancellor of the Exchequer. Shawcross had previously spent 6 years as deputy chief of staff to George Osborne during his time as Chancellor, and chief of staff at the Department for Work and Pensions where she was later made a non-executive director.

List of Directors of the Policy Unit

References

References

1. (8 July 2024). "Who are the key people inside Labour’s leadership team?".
2. "The powers that be".
3. Cameron's New Backroom Team Aims to Move Story On from U-turns and Cuts [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/feb/18/cameron-backroom-team-move-cuts]
4. Dudman, Jane. (2011-06-09). "No 10 happy with civil servant advisers". The Guardian.
5. "Editor's blog Friday 18 March 2011: EXCLUSIVE - Paul Bate is No 10's new health policy adviser".
6. "Events - 'A Year of Coalition Foreign and Defence Policy: A Number 10 Perspective' | Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford".
7. (9 March 2011). "Cameron abandons hands-off approach to government".
8. Stratton, Allegra. (2010-11-08). "Labour says government putting too many Tory allies in civil service". The Guardian.
9. Stratton, Allegra. (2011-03-10). "Energy policy role at No 10 for former BP man". The Guardian.
10. "The new 10 Downing Street".
11. (3 February 2022). "Exclusive: No. 10 policy chief quits over Boris's Jimmy Savile slur". The Spectator.
12. "Andrew Griffith MP".
13. "Parliamentary Secretary (Minister for Policy and Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit)". HM Government.
14. (2022-09-06). "New PM installs close allies in top cabinet jobs". Financial Times.
15. (23 January 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson loan probe into BBC chair to be run by father of Rishi Sunak's policy chief". The Daily Mirror.
16. (9 November 2022). "Rishi Sunak Appoints Donor as Policy Chief". Byline Times.
17. (31 October 2022). "Meet Rishi Sunak's fabulously wealthy new policy chief". The New European.
18. (26 October 2022). "Meet the elite, chic circle of youngsters behind Rishi's premiership". Condé Nast Britain.
19. The Viscountess Hailsham by marriage
20. BBC Radio 4. (2005-12-02). "''Any Questions?'' transcript". BBC.
21. (4 September 2003). "Blair pins hopes on sweeping policy changes".
22. Walker, David. (21 April 2004). "Eastern promise".
23. (2015-05-22). "The Cameron centre takes shape".
24. "Downing Street political advisers".