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The Art of Delivery
The Inside Story of How the Blair Government Transformed Britain's Public Services
Brief Description
The Art of Delivery unearths the lost narrative of how the Blair government transformed Britain's public services. On winning the 2001 general election, Blair told the British people he had received 'a mandate for reform...an instruction to deliver'. To turn rhetoric into action, he asked Michael...
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Format: Hardback
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See moreThe Inside Story of How the Blair Government Transformed Britain's Public Services
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Description
The Art of Delivery unearths the lost narrative of how the Blair government transformed Britain's public services. On winning the 2001 general election, Blair told the British people he had received 'a mandate for reform...an instruction to deliver'.
To turn rhetoric into action, he asked Michael Barber to form the first ever Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Though the Blair government had a huge mandate, there remained fundamental challenges to success, namely the Blair-Brown rivalry, which manifested itself in a proxy war over the direction of public service reform. Nevertheless, over four years, Barber's Delivery Unit directed the implementation of New Labour's transformative public service reform agenda and achieved major improvements to the NHS and the education system after decades of underinvestment and deteriorating services.
Michelle Clement's The Art of Delivery is based on brand-new research and analysis, using 600,000 words of Sir Michael Barber's unpublished, handwritten private diaries as well as interviews with central protagonists.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781785908514
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 27 May 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Biteback Publishing
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 250g
Pages: 432
About the Author
Dr Michelle Clement is researcher in residence at 10 Downing Street and lecturer and researcher in reform and delivery in government at the Strand Group, King's College London. She leads the pioneering 'The New Labour Years' postgraduate module alongside Professor Jon Davis and John Rentoul.
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