TRIGGERnometry How the Civil Service Ruined Britain
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Feb 19, 2026 
Steve Hilton, broadcaster and former political adviser known for attacking the British civil service and pushing decentralised reform. He recounts absurd bureaucracy like flammable pyjamas meetings. He discusses cutting red tape, shrinking and decentralising the civil service, how unelected bodies undermine ministers, and the challenge of seizing control of the state to enact change.
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Centralised Bureaucracy Self-Perpetuates
- Hilton concludes that centralised bureaucracies inevitably expand and resist decentralisation even with good intentions.
- He argues that the only way to achieve less regulation is to massively reduce civil service power and size.
Reform Performance Management Fast
- Ministers must empower competent civil servants and remove underperformers by changing performance management.
- Implement incentives like pay and freedom to make mistakes to improve delivery.
Power Has Shifted To Unelected Bodies
- Many independent quangos and regulators have removed power from elected politicians, making democracy 'sticky'.
- Restoring democratic control requires reclaiming powers from unelected bodies and courts.