The UK government vowed a crackdown on Whitehall consultations to speed up decision-making, according to an official announcement. It plans to use artificial intelligence to root out disproportionate reporting and consultation duties, government officials said. The reforms will streamline the process for collective Cabinet agreement of policy to reduce inter-departmental letter exchanges, the Cabinet Office confirmed.
Additionally, the government will replace environmental impact assessments with environmental outcomes reports to cut bureaucracy and ensure equalities impact assessments are used proportionately. Wide-ranging or complex policies will still be subject to consultation under the new plans, the Cabinet Office noted. The Conservatives said it is deeply ironic that the Labour government wants to clamp down on consultations while being stuck in consultation paralysis.
According to major media reports, the Conservatives estimated that UK government departments have launched at least one consultation a day in the 629 days Labour has been in power. A recent review found 131 instances of a legal duty to consult in just 10 pieces of legislation, the Cabinet Office reported. Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Dame Antonia Romeo as Cabinet Secretary last month with a mandate to drive government reform, major media sources indicated.
Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, and Attorney General Lord Hermer are tasked with leading the changes to Whitehall processes, according to multiple reports. Specific criteria to determine which consultations are 'disproportionate' and subject to removal have not been detailed, nor has the timeline for implementing the proposed changes. How artificial intelligence will be implemented and monitored to root out disproportionate consultations remains unclear.