The Art of Delivery The Inside Story of How the Blair Government Transformed Britain’s Public Services

“This is a special book. Not only does Michelle Clement possess a rare gift for making the entrails of government fascinating, she has another precious talent: for persuading key players to tell her everything and to hand over their documents. As long as there are people interested in the Blair years, this book will keep both its inherent vitality and its importance for future governments striving to reform Whitehall.”

Peter Hennessy, Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary University of London

“A compelling and clear analysis. Combining sharp insight and subtle nuance, Michelle Clement chronicles how the Blair government sought to galvanise the machine to modernise public services that had fallen into disrepair. The story Michelle tells is often close to the bone. She paints a picture of how that government painstakingly acquired the know-how to make transformation possible. This book is required reading for those interested in effecting change today.”

Alan Milburn, former Health Secretary

“Michelle Clement’s book is both timely and insightful. Tony Blair’s New Labour government, though ambitious and eager to make progress, ultimately learnt through trial and error. Michelle’s book, based on new research, reveals the unvarnished story of how we learnt the art of delivery and transformed the quality of public services. I highly recommend this book to those at the sharp end now.”

Sally Morgan, former political secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair

“‘Deliver or die’, as Tony Blair put it. Michelle Clement has given us the definitive account of how Blair and his guru of deliverology, Michael Barber, revolutionised modern government. Using fascinating insider detail, Michelle shows us the ups and downs of refocusing the government machinery and bending it to the Prime Minister’s will. All Prime Ministers learn that it is more difficult than it should be to get things done. There are so many valuable insights in this book that could show any Prime Minister the shortcuts to mastering the vital art of delivery.”

Simon Case, former Cabinet Secretary

“Understanding public service reform is the key to understanding the Blair government, and this book is the key to both. Dr Michelle Clement writes with flair and clarity about the creation of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and its work, capturing the uncertainty, wrong turnings and political tensions of the period. The result is a superb account of the development of a new way of thinking about public services and its maturing into a successful method of service improvement. This book is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how to make public services work better.”

John Rentoul, chief political commentator, The Independent