Bad Government (And How To Make It Better)
Trust in government has hit rock bottom. From Partygate and the chaos of Covid to the Peter Mandelson affair and open fights between ministers and civil servants, the hidden wiring has been sparking for all to see. When tragedies like Grenfell or the Post Office scandal occur, governments are glacially slow to respond and accountability goes missing. As successive Prime Ministers catastrophically fall, many say Britain is broken and ungovernable.
Part memoir, part manifesto, Bad Government takes us behind the famous black door to reveal why the ship of state is so hard to steer. As the first female Private Secretary in No. 10, the author was the only other woman in the room when Margaret Thatcher resigned. Having shaped reforms under both Thatcher and Tony Blair before working to tackle gender inequalities and deepen government’s connection with civil society, she now offers an insider’s view of how the system evolved, why it is breaking and how it can be fixed.
Exploring why successive Prime Ministers have failed in their promises to reset government and rebuild trust, this arresting book draws on compelling personal insights, weaving together forty years of history with the crises of today. This is a vital blueprint for a different model of government before the electorate loses faith entirely.
Reviews
“A brilliant and easy-to-read guide to what makes good and bad government by someone who deeply understands it. All voters should read this – and give it to their MP.”
Krishnan Guru-Murthy, broadcaster
"Everyone knows government isn’t working. But what can we do about it? Drawing on her experience of working inside Downing Street and her tireless work outside the system, Caroline Slocock explains how we can quite easily turn ‘bad’ into ‘good’ government."
Anthony Seldon, author and historian
"Part memoir, part political history, this beautifully observed book offers a rare glimpse behind the closed doors of British political life. Drawing on years spent in the private offices of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, as well as at the Equal Opportunities Commission, the author combines sharp insight with humanity, wit and compassion. Rich in personal anecdote and animated by a lifelong commitment to equality – especially for women – it is both an important record and an absorbing read."
Sayeeda Warsi, politician, lawyer and former co-chairperson of the Conservative Party
"Caroline Slocock has worked at the heart of government and knows where the bodies are buried – how trust turns to dust when ‘country before party’ becomes ‘party before country’. Bad Government is required reading for everyone interested in why UK politics feels broken. Starting with our politicians."
John Crace, The Guardian columnist and author
"I've been struck over and over again by Caroline’s combination of immense knowledge and experience and her firm moral compass. They’re all here in spades. Let's hope politicians and civil servants are bracing themselves!"
Polly Neate, social sector leader and commentator
"...packed with fresh, urgently relevant insights about how to govern more effectively, combined with a compelling personal account of what it’s like facing the impossible challenges at the heart of power."
Steve Richards, author, columnist and presenter
"Is Britain becoming ungovernable? This book presents a vision for government to overcome distrust and the extremes of populism. Through dramatic behind-the-scenes glimpses of how government actually works (and doesn’t), Slocock provides a hopeful alternative to the broken status quo. Brilliant."
Polly Curtis, CEO of Demos
"This is essential reading for anyone struggling to understand why government doesn’t work as well as it should."
Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary
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- Bad Government
- Hardback, 352 pages
- ISBN: 9781837360505
-
30 June 2026
Available to pre-order - £22.00
- Bad Government
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781837360697
-
16 June 2026
Available to pre-order - £16.99