Number 10 Policy Unit
{{Short description|Body advising the British prime minister}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name = Number 10 Policy Unit
| type = Policy Unit
| seal = Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
| seal_width = 140px
| seal_caption = Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
| formed = 1974
| chief1_name = Stuart Ingham
| chief1_position = Director
| parent_department = Prime Minister's Office
| website = [http://www.number10.gov.uk/ 10 Downing Street]
}}
The Number 10 Policy Unit is a body of policymakers based in 10 Downing Street, providing policy advice directly to the British Prime Minister. Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974, it has gone through a series of guises to suit the needs of successive prime ministers, staffed variously by political advisers, civil servants and more recently a combination of both.
The current Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit is Stuart Ingham.{{Cite web |date=8 July 2024 |title= Who are the key people inside Labour’s leadership team? |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/08/who-are-the-key-people-inside-labours-leadership-team |access-date=10 July 2024 |website=The Guardian |language=en-UK}}
Since 2010
The Coalition Government of May 2010 quickly disbanded two major parts of central infrastructure built by Tony Blair, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (PMDU) and Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (PMSU), as part of the Prime Minister's agenda to reduce the number of special advisers and end the micromanagement of Whitehall.{{cite web|url=http://www.ethosjournal.com/home/item/283-the-powers-that-be|title=The powers that be|website=www.ethosjournal.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231032806/http://www.ethosjournal.com/home/item/283-the-powers-that-be |archive-date=31 December 2011 |url-status=usurped}} In their place, a strengthened Policy and Implementation Unit was launched in early 2011 by the Cabinet Secretary, staffed wholly by civil servants and reporting jointly to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under joint heads Paul KirbyCameron's New Backroom Team Aims to Move Story On from U-turns and Cuts [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/feb/18/cameron-backroom-team-move-cuts] (Policy) and Kris Murrin (Implementation).{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2011/jun/09/no-10-civil-servant-advisers | work=The Guardian | first=Jane | last=Dudman | title=No 10 happy with civil servant advisers | date=2011-06-09}}
Members of the Policy Unit in 2010 were Gavin Lockhart-Mirams (Home Affairs), Sean Worth (Health and Adult Social Care),{{cite web|url=http://www.healthpolicyinsight.com/?q=node/1010|title=Editor's blog Friday 18 March 2011: EXCLUSIVE - Paul Bate is No 10's new health policy adviser|website=www.healthpolicyinsight.com}} Chris Brown (Education), Richard Freer (Defence),{{cite web|url=http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/details/845-a-year-of-coalition-foreign-and-defence-policy-a-number-10-perspective.html |title=Events - 'A Year of Coalition Foreign and Defence Policy: A Number 10 Perspective' | Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford |access-date=2011-07-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928105524/http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/details/845-a-year-of-coalition-foreign-and-defence-policy-a-number-10-perspective.html |archive-date=2011-09-28 }} Tim Luke (Business and Enterprise),{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/03/policy-advisers-cameron|title=Cameron abandons hands-off approach to government|website=www.newstatesman.com|date=9 March 2011}} Michael Lynas (Big Society){{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/nov/08/labour-government-tory-civil-service | work=The Guardian | first=Allegra | last=Stratton | author-link = Allegra Stratton| title=Labour says government putting too many Tory allies in civil service | date=2010-11-08}} and Ben Moxham (Energy and Environment).{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/mar/10/energy-policy-no-10-bp | work=The Guardian | first=Allegra | last=Stratton | title=Energy policy role at No 10 for former BP man | date=2011-03-10}} The Unit was supported by the Research and Analytics Unit.{{cite web|url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2011/02/the-new-10-downing-street.html|title=The new 10 Downing Street}}
Since 2019
Munira Mirza was appointed director of the Policy Unit when Boris Johnson became prime minister. She had previously been Deputy Mayor of London with responsibility for Education and Culture under Johnson during his time as Mayor of London. Mirza resigned on 4 February 2022 after Johnson failed to apologise for making misleading remarks that implied that Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile while the latter was Director of Public Prosecutions.{{cite news |last1=Forsyth |first1=James |title=Exclusive: No. 10 policy chief quits over Boris's Jimmy Savile slur |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/exclusive-boris-s-policy-chief-quits-over-jimmy-savile-slur/ |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=The Spectator |date=3 February 2022}}
Andrew Griffith MP was appointed to replace Mirza as the director of the Policy Unit until 8 July 2022.{{Cite web |title=Andrew Griffith MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/andrew-griffith |access-date=2022-07-10 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} As a sitting MP, he was also appointed as Parliamentary Secretary (Minister for Policy and Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit).{{cite web |title=Parliamentary Secretary (Minister for Policy and Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit) |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-secretary-minister-for-policy-and-head-of-the-prime-ministers-policy-unit |website=GOV.UK |publisher=HM Government |access-date=28 January 2023}} The role was left vacant from 8 July 2022, as Johnson announced his resignation as party leader, with a view to remaining as a caretaker prime minister until his successor had been chosen.
The vacant post was filled by Jamie Hope on 6 September 2022 as part of the short-lived Truss ministry.{{Cite news |date=2022-09-06 |title=New PM installs close allies in top cabinet jobs |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/aae81524-3a2b-43a8-99a0-43ac9c4243ab |access-date=2022-09-06}}
When Rishi Sunak became prime minister in October 2022, Eleanor Shawcross, the daughter of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, William Shawcross and grand-daughter of the barrister Hartley Shawcross, became director of the Policy Unit. She had previously donated £20,000 to his leadership campaign, having advised him while he was Chancellor of the Exchequer.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Mikey |title=EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson loan probe into BBC chair to be run by father of Rishi Sunak's policy chief |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-loan-probe-bbc-29033019 |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=The Daily Mirror |date=23 January 2023}} Shawcross had previously spent 6 years as deputy chief of staff to George Osborne during his time as Chancellor, and chief of staff at the Department for Work and Pensions where she was later made a non-executive director.{{cite news |last1=Bright |first1=Sam |title=Rishi Sunak Appoints Donor as Policy Chief |url=https://bylinetimes.com/2022/11/09/rishi-sunak-appoints-donor-eleanor-shawcross-wolfson-head-of-policy/ |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=Byline Times |publisher=Byline Times |date=9 November 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Mandrake |title=Meet Rishi Sunak's fabulously wealthy new policy chief |url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/meet-rishi-sunaks-policy-chief/ |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=The New European |publisher=The New European |date=31 October 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Leake |first1=Natasha |title=Meet the elite, chic circle of youngsters behind Rishi's premiership |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/special-advisers-rishi-sunak |access-date=28 January 2023 |work=The Tatler |publisher=Condé Nast Britain |date=26 October 2022}}
List of Directors of the Policy Unit
| class="wikitable" |
| #
! Policy Director ! Years ! colspan="2" | Prime Minister |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 1
| rowspan="2" | Bernard Donoughue | 1974–1976 |style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | |
| 1976–1979
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | |
| 2
| 1979–1982 | rowspan="4" | Margaret Thatcher | rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 3
| 1982–1983 |
| 4
| 1983–1985 |
| 5
| 1985–1990 |
| 6
| 1990–1995 | rowspan="2" | John Major | rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 7
| 1995–1997 |
| 8
| 1997–2001 | rowspan="5" | Tony Blair | rowspan="5" style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | |
| 9
| Andrew Adonis{{cite web | author = BBC Radio 4 | author-link = BBC Radio 4 | title = Any Questions? transcript | publisher = BBC | date = 2005-12-02 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/anyquestions_transcripts_20051202.shtml | access-date = 2006-12-17}} | 2001–2003 |
| 10
| Geoff Mulgan{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/sep/04/uk.society1|title=Blair pins hopes on sweeping policy changes|first1=Patrick|last1=Wintour|first2=Michael|last2=White|date=4 September 2003|website=the Guardian}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/apr/21/guardiansocietysupplement2|title=Eastern promise|first=David|last=Walker|date=21 April 2004|website=the Guardian}} | 2003–2004 |
| 11
| 2005–2005 |
| 12
| 2005–2007 |
| 13
| 2007–2008 | rowspan="2" | Gordon Brown | rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | |
| 14
| Nick Pearce | 2008–2010 |
| 15
| James O'Shaughnessy, Baron O'Shaughnessy{{Cite web |date=2015-05-22 |title=The Cameron centre takes shape |url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comment/cameron-centre-takes-shape |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=Institute for Government |language=en}} | 2010–2011 | rowspan="4" | David Cameron | rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 16
| Paul Kirby | 2011–2013 |
| 17
| 2013–2015 |
| 18
| 2015–2016 |
| 19
| 2016–2017 | rowspan="2" | Theresa May | rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 20
| 2017–2019 |
| 21
| 2019–2022 | rowspan="2" | Boris Johnson | rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 22
| 2022 |
| 23
|2022 | rowspan="1" | Liz Truss | rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 24
|2022–2024 | rowspan="1" | Rishi Sunak | rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |
| 25
|2024 - present | rowspan="1" | Keir Starmer | rowspan="1"style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | |