Committees

Revision of the Cabinet Manual

Inquiry

The Cabinet Manual was first published in 2011 and provides authoritative guidance to ministers and officials by recording (rather than prescribing) rules and practice relating to the operation of government.

The Manual is not intended to be a fixed text and is expected to adapt to legislative and constitutional developments. Since the Manual’s publication there have been significant developments in relation to Brexit, the devolution arrangements and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Constitution Committee is exploring whether the Manual needs to be updated and what role it should play as a public facing document.

Reports, special reports and government responses

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6th Report - Revision of the Cabinet Manual
Inquiry Revision of the Cabinet Manual
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HL Paper 34
Report
Response to this report
Letter from Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Cabinet Manual (12 June 2023)
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Correspondence
Response to this report
Letter from Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, and William Wragg MP, Chair of the House of Commons' Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, on the Government's work to update the Cabinet Manual (13 June 2023)
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Correspondence
Response to this report
Letter from Lord True, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Cabinet Manual (1 June 2022)
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Correspondence
Response to this report
Letter from Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, to Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union, on the Government Response to the Committee's report on the Revision of the Cabinet Manual (6th Report, Session 2021–22, HL Paper 34) (16 May 2022)
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Correspondence
Response to this report
Government response to the Committee's report on Revision of the Cabinet Manual (7 February 2022)
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Government Response

Correspondence

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Letter from Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Cabinet Manual (12 June 2023)
Inquiry Revision of the Cabinet Manual
Open PDF
82KB
Correspondence
Letter from Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, and William Wragg MP, Chair of the House of Commons' Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, on the Government's work to update the Cabinet Manual (13 June 2023)
Inquiry Revision of the Cabinet Manual
Open PDF
102KB
Correspondence
Letter from Lord True, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Cabinet Manual (1 June 2022)
Inquiry Revision of the Cabinet Manual
Open PDF
92KB
Correspondence

Oral evidence transcripts

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17 May 2021
Inquiry Revision of the Cabinet Manual
Witnesses Simon Case (Cabinet Secretary at Cabinet Office)
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Oral Evidence
26 April 2021
Inquiry Revision of the Cabinet Manual
Witnesses Lord Sedwill (former Cabinet Secretary at Cabinet Office), and Lord O'Donnell (former Cabinet Secretary at Cabinet Office)
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Oral Evidence

Written evidence

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Professor Matthew Flinders (Professor of Politics at The University of Sheffield) (RCM0001)
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Dr Andrew Blick (Reader in Politics and Contemporary History and Head of Department of Political Economy at King's College London) (RCM0002)
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Associate Professor Grant Duncan (Associate Professor at Massey University) (RCM0003)
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Other publications

Government Responses
The Government has undertaken to respond to most committee reports within two months, although there are exceptions to this rule.
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Contact us

  • Email: constitution@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 3871 (committee staff) | 020 7219 8286 (Press Officer)
  • Address: Constitution Committee, House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW