If politicians come to believe that the civil service is preoccupied with speaking truth to power at the expense of doing its job, Francis Maude-type solutions will be imposed, regardless of which party is in power.
Why did the Foreign Office fail in this case, but succeed over Ukraine, in the view of some of its critics?
Just as its energy dependence on Russia cannot be reversed overnight, decades of drift into quasi-pacifism reflect a deeply embedded outlook.
It is no longer possible to believe that one can sup with Putin provided one’s spoon is as long as the Nordstream 2 pipeline.
“This has gone from being a withdrawal to a rout”, says the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
It is not a substitute for justice, but it would be a welcome addition to how the UK responds to the most serious violations.
The D10 presents an opportunity for coordinating democracies around goals of combating climate change while securing supply chains.
His position has given him the freedom to speak openly and with authority where those holding government portfolios must tread lightly.
The Exiting the European Union Committee has been renamed. The Conservative MPs elected to it are staunch Brexiteers.
We need to have a Foreign Affairs Committee that mixes idealism with clear thinking – and holds the Foreign Office to account.
The blunt reality is that China is a cyber risk and will remain so for years. It has a dreadful reputation for cyber attacks and intellectual property theft.
It will be a significant step forward in keeping this heinous organisation from inciting hatred on our streets.
Authoritarian regimes are rising, democracies are on the retreat, and our power to change that is less than we might wish.
It’s not reassuring that departments are responsible for marking their own homework in relation to alleged breaches of the Code.