Select committee: Constitution Committee

Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Closed Opened 25 Mar 2021 Closed 13 Jun 2023 8 recommendations

Constitution Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)

The Cabinet Manual was first published in 2011 and provides authoritative guidance to ministers and officials by recording (rather than prescribing) rules and practice relating to the operation of government. The Manual is not intended to be a fixed text and is expected to adapt to legislative and constitutional developments. Since the Manual’s publication there have been significant developments in relation to Brexit, the devolution arrangements and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Constitution Committee is exploring whether the Manual needs to be updated and what role it should play as a public facing document.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 25 March 2021.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual on 8 July 2021.

The government's response

Published 8 February 2022. The deadline was 8 September 2021.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Recommendations and conclusions

Recommendation 20Recommendation
Recommendation 35Recommendation
Recommendation 36Recommendation

All 8 recommendations and conclusions

Reports

6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual8 July 2021 · 8 items

All reports

Evidence

2 oral evidence sessionsLatest 17 May 2021
3 witnesses

All evidence

Recent activity

Recommendations and conclusions 8 shown

Recommendation 20

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that the Prime Minister makes clear, in the foreword to the next edition, the duty on all ministers to adhere to the constitutional principles in the Cabinet Manual. Updating the Cabinet Manual

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Recommendation 35

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that a draft update of the Cabinet Manual should be produced as soon as possible, and not later than 12 months from the date of this report.

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Recommendation 36

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that thereafter any updates to the Cabinet Manual should as a matter of routine be considered at the beginning of each Parliament and endorsed by the Cabinet. As with the first edition, this process should include consulting parliamentary committees, academics and the public on a draft version.

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Recommendation 37

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that in between regular updates to the Cabinet Manual any important revisions should be reflected immediately in the online version, as we recommended in our 2011 report.

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Recommendation 38

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that the next edition of the Cabinet Manual should set out clearly the process for producing subsequent versions. Role of Parliament

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Recommendation 45

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that future drafts, including draft individual chapters, should be shared with our Committee and the relevant committee in the House of Commons for comment. This can help to achieve consensus on the text.

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Recommendation 46

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that the Government formally consults the relevant committees in the devolved legislatures on any revisions to the Cabinet Manual. Public awareness

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Recommendation 52

Recommendation · 6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Recommended (the committee's words)

We recommend that the Cabinet Manual should continue to be drafted in an accessible and clear style which does not presume detailed knowledge of the United Kingdom constitution and the operation of government. Standards in public life

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Reports

1 report

6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual

HC No.: Not recorded
Published: 8 Jul 2021
Items: 8
Government response: Government response published 8 February 2022 (deadline 8 September 2021). Read the government's response ↗

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions

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Date	Session and witnesses	Source
17 May 2021	Oral evidence session Simon Case · Cabinet Office	View ↗
26 Apr 2021	Oral evidence session The Lord O'Donnell KG GCB · Cabinet Office, The Lord Sedwill GCMG · Cabinet Office	View ↗

Who gave evidence

3 witnesses

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Witness	Organisation	Sessions
Simon Case · Cabinet Secretary	Cabinet Office	1
The Lord O'Donnell KG GCB · former Cabinet Secretary	Cabinet Office	1
The Lord Sedwill GCMG · Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, 2018–20	Cabinet Office	1

Correspondence

5 letters

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Published	Direction	Letter
15 Jun 2023	To committee	Letter from Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, and William Wragg MP, Chair of the House of Commons' Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, on the Government's work to update the Cabinet Manual (13 June 2023)
15 Jun 2023	To committee	Letter from Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Cabinet Manual (12 June 2023)
6 Jun 2022	To committee	Letter from Lord True, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Cabinet Manual (1 June 2022)
16 May 2022	To committee	Letter from Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, to Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union, on the Government Response to the Committee's report on the Revision of the Cabinet Manual (6th Report, Session 2021–22, HL Paper 34) (16 May 2022)
17 May 2021	To committee	Letter from Rachel Hayward, Deputy Secretary of the New Zealand Cabinet to Baroness Taylor on the New Zealand Cabinet Manual