special adviser

   Special advisers have been used by all British governments of the last generation, their number nearly doubling after Labour’s victory in the 1997 election. They are usually active members of the governing party, political appointees whose function is to add a political dimension to the advice ministers receive from civil servants. They provide support and political focus, assist and fortify ministers in exercising influence over the direction of policy, and ensure that it is presented in a favourable light from the party’s point of view.

   Their numbers and presence can cause tensions with officials in the relevant departments. In 2000, the Neill Committee recommended that the number of special advisers appointed by the government should be limited, perhaps to around 100 – more than 20 more than are presently on the payroll. He pointed to the danger that their authority might outweigh that of objective advisers (civil servants) and urged that their activities be subject to a code of conduct to spell out the relationship between special advisers, the media and ministers. The code should make it clear that all advisers have a duty to uphold the impartiality of the Civil Service.