Computer Weekly interviewed three of the most senior and influential digital leaders in the UK government in September of last year to talk about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead under a new Labour administration.
Craig Suckling, the government’s chief data officer, Rich Corbridge, the chief digital information officer at the DWP, Gina Gill, the chief strategy officer at the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO), and Rich Corbridge were generally upbeat but also realistic about the challenges. Following the departure of former government chief digital officer Mike Potter in September, all three have left the civil service less than six months later. Laura Gilbert, who was in charge of i.AI, the government’s AI incubator team, also left in January.
Additionally, Sarah Munby, the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology’s permanent secretary and the most senior official in charge of digital policy, will also be leaving this summer. Joanna Davinson is currently in charge of the “new” Government Digital Service (GDS), which combines the CDDO, i.AI, and the rest of the “old” GDS. Despite her previous departure in late 2022, Davinson is only in the position on an interim basis. It may seem unfortunate to lose one or two digital leaders just as Labour was developing and publishing its new digital strategy. It could be carelessness to lose three or four.
Well, it makes you think, doesn’t it? To lose six or seven The majority of the senior leadership team in charge of the government’s digital strategy is undergoing replacement. Emily Middleton, who is currently serving as the temporary director general for digital centre design at DSIT, is said to be the most influential figure moving forward.
What is the significance of that grand but brief job title? In essence, Middleton was the driving force behind the new digital strategy. He was brought in for an urgent but interim role created as a result of changes to the government machinery that saw GDS, CDDO, and i.AI moved from the Cabinet Office to DSIT. He did this by using special civil service exemptions. Middleton’s temporary position should only last for two years, according to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request regarding her appointment.
She has long been anticipated to eventually assume a permanent position, possibly as GDS’s new leader. But now that Munby is leaving, is it likely that she will take over as CEO of DSIT? Middleton “has worked with governments around the world to develop digital strategies and to design, scale, and reboot digital and data units,” according to her biography on Gov.uk. An ideal resume for the first digital permanent secretary, perhaps? According to the FOI, Middleton had served as a consultant for the Labour Party prior to the general election in 2024, assisting the party with its digital policies.
Her previous “day job” was as a partner at Public Digital, a digital government consulting firm founded by former GDS founding chief Mike Bracken and Tom Loosemore, who was his deputy at the time. In fact, at the launch of the digital strategy in January, DSIT secretary of state Peter Kyle told Computer Weekly that he had consulted with Bracken in the hope of learning from past mistakes and missed opportunities.
There appears to be more similarities between the new and old GDS than anyone anticipated, including among GDS employees, where some eye rolling is believed to have occurred. The majority of people have been pleased with Kyle and Middleton’s digital strategy, which addresses most of the issues raised by the comprehensive and brutally honest State of Digital Government report, which was commissioned by consulting firm Bain & Company. The launch of a digital driving license, a concept that was easily comprehended by national newspapers who covered Kyle’s announcement with some glee, was also a part of the strategy.
However, the new leadership team at DSIT and GDS must deliver next, regardless of whether Middleton is in charge. That won’t be as simple as a shiny new strategy, according to one of those tasked with delivering over the past few years. In a post-retirement article that she wrote for Computer Weekly, former CDDO executive director Gina Gill identified five crucial obstacles that DSIT will need to overcome in order to achieve its digital objectives: Include digital thinking from the beginning of policymaking.
Improved information to comprehend service performance and cost New methods of funding that are appropriate for digital change significantly more adaptability in procurement Improved digital literacy among senior civil servants outside of the data and digital industries More information about Gill’s suggestions can be found here. Although it is encouraging to see a plan for improved delivery laid out in this manner, it is also somewhat depressing to learn that virtually every digital leader Computer Weekly has spoken with who has left the civil service within the past ten years or more has described problems that are similar or even identical.
Everyone is aware of the requirements, but the civil service has demonstrated its inability to effect the necessary systemic change. The government’s digital transformation remains a necessary objective. We have the best possible comprehension of what needs to be done, with new political leadership in Kyle and new digital leadership in Middleton. However, it is still unclear whether the civil service is truly ready and able to deliver.