Number 10 Policy Unit
Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974, it has gone through a series of guises to suit the needs of successive prime ministers, staffed variously by political advisers, civil servants and more recently a combination of both.[2]In their place, a strengthened Policy and Implementation Unit was launched in early 2011 by the Cabinet Secretary, staffed wholly by civil servants and reporting jointly to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under joint heads Paul Kirby[3] (Policy) and Kris Murrin (Implementation).[4] Members of the Policy Unit in 2010 were Gavin Lockhart-Mirams (Home Affairs), Sean Worth (Health and Adult Social Care),[5] Chris Brown (Education), Richard Freer (Defence),[6] Tim Luke (Business and Enterprise),[7] Michael Lynas (Big Society)[8] and Ben Moxham (Energy and Environment).[10] Munira Mirza was appointed director of the Policy Unit when Boris Johnson became prime minister.[13] The role was left vacant from 8 July 2022, as Johnson announced his resignation as party leader, with a view to remaining as a caretaker prime minister until his successor had been chosen.