What’s behind Esther McVey’s attack on civil service lanyards?

Esther McVey, informally known as the minister for common sense, has not been especially visible since her appointment to Rishi Sunak’s government last November. There is a particular issue for the civil service, because of its expectations about its professional ethos, and because of accusations that there are individuals and groups, including in the Home Office, who have used their positions to try to thwart government policies they oppose. High-profile critics of the civil service, such as Johnson’s former adviser, Dominic Cummings, have also given such complaints more prominence than they might otherwise have had. One current question might be about what proportion of government and civil service staff should be in the office for what proportion of time, following the pandemic period of working from home.