The letter marks a significant shift in Whitehall's approach to policymaking. Departments have been told to consider each case afresh rather than assume that past promises or commitments require another consultation. The government also wants to begin removing what it describes as thousands of unnecessary consultation and reporting requirements from the statute book, with a starting position that these should be repealed 'only by exception' and departments asked to look for opportunities to bin them through legislation already in the works.

The push against consultations is separate from, but timed alongside, Whitehall's long-running effort to wean itself off private-sector consultants. In 2024, the government promised to tighten controls on consultancy spending and deliver annual savings of £1.2 billion by 2026. However, as The Register reported in July, the Home Office nonetheless awarded Deloitte and PA Consulting contracts worth up to £200 million and £150 million respectively for data and analytics services. The National Audit Office warned last year that the Treasury lacked comprehensive data on consultancy spending, and Parliament's Public Accounts Committee said in March that departments were not complying with Cabinet Office controls designed to rein it in.

Beyond consultation, the letter also encourages ministers to accept a higher risk of legal challenge when pushing ahead with policy. It states that where there is a 'tenable legal argument', ministers can choose to proceed even when government lawyers assess the legal risk as high. Guidance for government lawyers is due to be updated this week to make that explicit. Judicial review is also in the crosshairs: the government wants to extend reforms that limit challenges to nationally significant infrastructure projects beyond energy schemes to transport, water, and other major developments.