The Home Office needs to improve how it works with other departmentsCross-cutting policy areas like immigration also require effective communication and trust between departments. The fact that departments like DHSC and DWP distrust and are “uncooperative” with the Home Office, when asylum policy has a big impact on their policy areas, needs to change. Ministers should welcome a confident civil service that gives the best possible adviceWhile the full text of the Timothy review has not been released, the Times report shows that he has adopted a characteristically pugnacious approach. Frustration with the Home Office is understandable, but to really change the department will require a cultural shift to a higher trust, less aggressive environment. Doing nothing, or continuing to struggle reactively and chaotically with the Home Office’s challenging brief, should not be an option.
