History & Policy

Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell. In his forty-year career, Lord Butler has served as Private Secretary to five Prime Ministers and was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 to 1998. In addition to the many momentous political shifts in that time he has overseen an important period of change in the history of the Civil Service and its relationship to the wider world. 14 November 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm Council Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS The Haldane Report, which sees its centenary this year, was a landmark in early twentieth century thought about how the machinery of modern government should function, the principles that should underpin policy formation, and executive accountability. It famously concluded that: 'in the sphere of civil government the duty of investigation and thought, as preliminary to action, might with great advantage be more definitely recognised.' The report also proposed that Whitehall departments be organised on functional li