Train government ministers properly and leave them in post, says ex-cabinet secretary

Former civil service boss Mark Sedwill blames constant rotation of personnel and lack of proper teaching for poorer strategic thinking

Prime ministers should send their cabinet members to a school of government and stop the constant rotation of ministers to improve strategic thinking in Whitehall, a former cabinet secretary has said.

Mark Sedwill, who ran the civil service for Boris Johnson and Theresa May, said effective government needed “longevity of personnel”, rather than a stream of new ministers without expertise in their portfolios.