Everyone thinks government should be more innovative, but the NAO saying it means Labour really has dithered, writes Eliot Wilson

“Government can use innovation to make faster gains” is not the most radical statement ever made; indeed, it has become a commonplace in Whitehall, a slogan repeated by ministers and would-be ministers without thinking to show that they are in tune with the pace of the outside world. But when it is stated by the head of the National Audit Office (NAO), it takes on rather more weight.

Last week, Gareth Davies, comptroller and auditor general of the United Kingdom, addressed Members of Parliament and civil servants on two major issues for the coming year, productivity and resilience. His argument was straightforward: the state needs to work better, exploit its assets more effectively and adapt to change more quickly. In addition, it needs to do this while managing risk and protecting itself from external threats.

Has Labour achieved anything so far?

Davies pointed to areas where there are obvious failures. The NHS is plagued by “rising demand and costs, alongside unsatisfactory outcomes”, as is provision for children with special educational needs (the latter was the subject of a NAO report last October). He underlined the breadth of change needed, from using new technology like........

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