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Patrick King

@patrickking.bsky.social
249 followers 126 following 124 posts

Working in AI policy, ex-think tanker. Views my own.

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Reposted by Patrick King
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
On Wednesday we hosted Mayor David Skaith for an 'In Conversation' as part of ongoing 'Meetings with Mayors' series Policy Director, @stkaye.bsky.social, has written a blog with his key takeaways from the event
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Simon Kaye @stkaye.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Best of luck with what's next my friend. It has been a privelege.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
It will be really sad to go, but I leave with so many fantastic memories, friends & an exciting opportunity to come 👀
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
It's such a privilege to work in a think tank and be exposed everyday to experts and officials who are so generous with their time and want to make the world a better place And to work with colleagues who are all pulling in the same direction and I now consider close friends
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
And last (but not at all least) to @seaneke.bsky.social and @floconway.bsky.social who are both total legends, I've had some of my best work memories with and are so committed to everyone they work with and everything they do
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
And to @rosiebeacon.bsky.social who is an absolute powerhouse, the MVP of interesting office chat, and such a pleasure to work with Backed up by @alicesemark.bsky.social who has hit the ground running (sprinting!) at Reform, lives and breathes what we do, and is relentlessly positive
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
A massive shout out to Sylvie Macdonald who single handedly runs our GOAT events programme, is such a pro and brings the best possible energy to the office
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
To @sebrees1.bsky.social and @indiaww.bsky.social who made Reform the best place to start my career, constantly went above and beyond and are two of the most fun, proactive people you could hope to work with
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
To @stkaye.bsky.social and @jo3hill.bsky.social for being such incredibly generous, kind and thoughtful line managers Their feedback has always helped me see things differently and their enthusiasm for everything that goes on here is infectious
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Firstly, @charliepickles.bsky.social, who I've been so lucky to work with and learn from and who's not only helped Reform triple in size(!) in the time I've been here, but also built it into *the* most exciting and forward-looking think tank working to redesign the State and public services
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
🚨Personal news🚨 After three and a half brilliant, jam-packed years @reformthinktank.bsky.social, today is my final day I'll still be based in Westminster (more on this to come). But if I could just give a quick shout out to the exceptional people I've worked with 🧵
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
My last ever Reform blog! On the dynamics of when it's best/easiest to enact radical change
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Why do we continue to see competitive salaries in the public sector as a problem? There are plenty of reasons to cull quangos, but how much senior staff are paid is not one of them In fact being able to pay a competitive salary is one reasons quangos are created
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
This says much more about the frugality of PM's pay than it does about officials running some of the most important and specialist parts of the State www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
dailymail.co.uk
Figures show at least 350 bosses earn more than the Prime Minister
More than 350 quango bosses received a higher taxpayer-paid salary than the £172,153 Keir Starmer is entitled to.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
I've been wanting to write about this for a while. A senior official once told @reformthinktank.bsky.social that the future is "policymaking as code". What does that say about the value of policymaking? And the future of the civil service/think tank/charity complex?
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Reposted by Patrick King
Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
How can we make Neighbourhood Boards truly successful? 🏘️ In the blog this week, researcher, @floconway.bsky.social, shares her thoughts...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
V excited for this next week! 🔥 What's it really like working inside Downing Street? What works, what doesn't? How does the machine need to change?
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
🎉The Blog is out! This week, our Head of Health, @rosiebeacon.bsky.social, writes about the Govt's plans for secondary care and the challenges facing proposed reforms... 🏥🚑
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
The 'prioritise my thing' in Whitehall playbook: 1) The empowered Chair/Chief Exec 2) Unlimited authority - granted direct from PM 3) Single business case + budget 4) Pay *much* more than civil service to get *actual experts*
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Antimicrobial resistance is a major challenge to the UK’s health security and is already responsible for a significant burden of death, disability and prolonged illness globally. We've submitted evidence to the Public Accounts Committee's inquiry on AMR governance, with insights from our research👇
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Report here: reform.uk/publications...
reform.uk
An efficiency mindset: prioritising efficiency in Whitehall's everyday work - REFORM
Spending public money wisely must be at the heart of how Whitehall operates. Every pound that is wasted, or used ineffectively, is a pound that could have been used to improve people's lives.  Yet des...
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Great to see the Evaluation Registry go live. As we argued in Efficiency Mindset, there should be every incentive for depts to develop policies with a strong VfM evidence base. Making past evaluations more transparent & accessible clearly supports this. civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2025/03/31/p...
civilservice.blog.gov.uk
Public Launch of the Evaluation Registry
Today, the Evaluation Task Force – a joint Cabinet Office and HM Treasury team – has launched the Evaluation Registry, a new website on GOV.UK. The Registry brings together all planned, ongoing, and c...
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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
We need to boldly commission a public review in how we mean to be bold. Then conduct a consultation on bold measures, put that through several cabinet committees, notably the Committee on Bold Action, and then argue about them in the run up to a fiscal moment. Where we'll discover there's no money
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
I think this is key, nothing in principle is preventing government changing some of this very quickly. And, e.g., moves to create specialist DDaT pay bands are encouraging. If government is cutting “admin costs” by 15% (and headcount) now is definitely the time to get serious about this stuff.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
I think there are small pockets that show that - with the right political buy-in - it’s possible to flex pay and certain aspects of culture/branding (relevant section of report below). But agreed, question is then how you scale this against enormous resistance to breaking current, uniform approach.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
100% agreed on NICE and MHRA, which just wouldn’t be able to perform their core functions effectively in DHSC. We suggested neither be brought in-house. On civil service expertise, I think it’s an important argument to make, but definitely fighting the long fight on that one!
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Full report here: reform.uk/publications...
reform.uk
Quangocracy: The future of public bodies - REFORM
Public bodies now account for around 60 per cent of day-to-day government spending, providing some of the most important and high-risk services. Despite this, departments are unclear on the power they...
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
This is also the right approach: insourcing decision-making relies on building subject specific expertise within departments. The real prize is taking talent *and* accountability in Whitehall much more seriously - see, e.g., the AI Safety Institute, which remains within DSIT.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Exactly the logic we @reformthinktank.bsky.social set out as the right justification for arm’s length bodies in our report Quangocracy, last month👇 More thoughts to follow from the team…
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
@theguardian.com is reporting that “In cases where it is essential quangos are independent from ministerial decision-making, for example those with a regulatory function or that scrutinise government or protect the rule of law, then these will remain unaffected.” t.co/h3OcjAIz09
t.co
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/06/ministers-consider-abolishing-hundreds-of-quangos-sources-say
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Reform of the State is a precursor to economic growth. As @chriscurtis94.bsky.social says, the risk of keeping the status quo now "significantly outweighs the risk of reform". Our report with @labourgrowth.bsky.social sets out key steps that would allow for a more nimble, effective Whitehall.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
It's really excellent to see today's announcement on pharmacy, and investment matching rhetoric on the shift to community health provision. We should recognise and reward decision-makers when they break from the status quo & immediate to invest in the long-term & important.
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
In a competitive and uncertain world, economic growth relies on a capable state that can act decisively to create opportunities and unblock barriers to progress Great to partner with @labourgrowth.bsky.social to make the case for Whitehall reform!
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Well this is exciting We've joined up with the @labourgrowth.bsky.social to publish 9 steps to rewiring the State Reforming Whitehall is not a technocratic exercise, its essential to building a better Britain. This paper makes the case for turning gov into an enabler of growth
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
A brilliant and rare opportunity to come and work on some of the most interesting Qs of State capacity and resilience! What could be more important or timely? Highly recommend applying, and happy to chat about the role!
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Missed our Spring Statement debrief event yesterday? Senior Researcher @patrickking.bsky.social has you covered with the key takeaways: reform.uk/comment/lets...
reform.uk
Let's get fiscal - REFORM
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Our statement/budget debriefs are mr fav events in the Reform calendar And this one’s set to be as good as any! I’ll be blogging some key takeaways after. Stayed tuned!
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
colleagues do not approve
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Petition to bring back serious budget covers
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
@floconway.bsky.social and @patrickking.bsky.social argue in the MJ that delivering neighbourhood health will mean being radical in devolving power and resources to hyper-local areas👇 www.themj.co.uk/designing-hy...
themj.co.uk
Designing hyper-local prevention-focused services
On entering government, the health secretary declared the NHS broken. Fixing it will mean embedding local leadership at heart of the health system – and particularly...
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
The biggest neighbourhood health wins will come through experimentation not central direction Our report today argues that the design of a neighbourhood health service must put the autonomy of local leaders and providers front and centre My blog, on other key design principles👇
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Now published! t.co/4LrNeOvspk
t.co
https://reform.uk/publications/designing-a-neighbourhood-health-service/
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Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Will people in politics invent new phrases rather than using 30 year old impenetrable ones, or are they frit??????
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Had a great time working on this with @floconway.bsky.social and discovering so many incredible examples of primary care innovation already underway Tomorrow we publish 'Designing a Neighbourhood Health Service' - setting out key design principles and lessons to take away
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Today we are excited to launch our new programme, "Building the preventative state", in partnership with Newton. Our Director @charliepickles.bsky.social and Newton Senior Partner Richard Lum joined up to blog about what we're doing and why it matters. reform.uk/comment/buil...
reform.uk
Building the preventative state - REFORM
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
The Week is out!🎉 "decisions made about spending and policy shouldn’t be put beyond the remit of elected ministers" This week, Policy Director, @jo3hill.bsky.social reflects on the Government's public service reform announcements
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Florence Conway @floconway.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
A few wks ago I asked whether NHSE is impossible to lead... and I guess Govt agreed...! At @reformthinktank.bsky.social, we have written extensively on the need for greater devolution in the health service to deliver a truly preventative, ppl-centred health system reform.uk/comment/is-t...
reform.uk
Is the NHS impossible to lead? - REFORM
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Worth reading in full! Below, a full set of recommendations from both papers👇
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Why shake-up quangos? As @alicesemark.bsky.social and I argued 2 wks ago, the narrow remit of many quangos, gaps in oversight and diff cultures that emerge at arm's-length are a key barrier to govt delivering as one We make recs to consolidate + better grip quangos reform.uk/publications...
reform.uk
Quangocracy: The future of public bodies - REFORM
Public bodies now account for around 60 per cent of day-to-day government spending, providing some of the most important and high-risk services. Despite this, departments are unclear on the power they...
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Patrick King @patrickking.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Why axe NHS England? As @rosiebeacon.bsky.social argued in 'Close enough to care', the centralisation + top-down instincts of NHSE are a block on creating a more preventative and community oriented health system It also gives options for the 'what next'👇 reform.uk/publications...
reform.uk
Close enough to care: A new structure for the English health and care system - REFORM
In Reimagining Health: a framing paper, Reform set out the case for a radical new approach to health. Close enough to care is the first of a series of papers setting out root and branch reform of the ...
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