Reform UK government would replace top civil servants with those ‘more like to implement party’s priorities’

Exclusive: Senior party figures conclude outsiders or existing senior staff deemed more suitable should take over from current permanent secretaries

A Reform UK government would expect to dismiss the top civil servant in every government department and replace them with people seen as more likely to implement the party's priorities, the Guardian has learned.

Senior Reform figures have concluded that the current crop of permanent secretaries, the lead civil servant in each department, are not up to the necessary standard. Some would be replaced by outsiders, and others by existing officials viewed as more suitable.