Access talks are meetings between senior members of the opposition and the civil service. They include the meetings that the leader of the opposition and their team have with the cabinet secretary and other members of the Cabinet Office and meetings shadow secretaries of state and their teams have with permanent secretaries.

How many meetings should there be?

There is no strict limit, though the talks should not become a distraction – that is, the civil service focus must continue to be serving the government of the day. The number of talks usually depends on how valuable opposition shadows find them, how extensive a policy platform the opposition has to discuss, and the ease of organising diaries – and of course how much time there is for them to happen before the election. Access talks are usually more valuable in the months before the election campaign formally begins. During the campaign period there is limited time to have meetings as the opposition are busy on the campaign trail. 

Where can the meetings take place?

The meetings occur away from government departments; in the past many have taken place in parliamentary offices, but other venues have also been used. Several former participants talked about the value of a first informal meeting – over dinner or drinks – so that shadows and permanent secretaries can have a more casual discussion. Some continued to intersperse informal or one-to-one meetings with more formal sessions, but naturally this depends on the time available.

Who can attend the meetings?

For the opposition leader’s office, talks are often initiated by key advisers, such as the leader’s chief of staff, especially to go over what ground needs to be covered and to keep in touch as issues arise. The leader of the opposition themselves is involved in certain discussions, particularly around key policy priorities and how they would want a government to function. But the schedule of a leader of the opposition and their focus on the campaign means that a lot of discussions will tend to fall to advisers. In the past cabinet secretaries have usually used conversations closer to the election to go over with the leader key questions that will need to be addressed in the first few days of a premiership, which range from who is likely to be appointed to which roles in the government, to what arrangements need to be made for living accommodation in No.10 or No.11. 

For departmental meetings, previous participants found value in having the first meeting as a general chat between the shadow and permanent secretary, to get to know each other. It is useful to then plan a schedule of talks which cover key policies and issues the opposition are prioritising, so attendance will reflect that. Shadows can extend discussions to involve their wider team, and some have allowed their key advisers to continue more detailed discussions with the department. Before 1997 Ed Balls, as an adviser to shadow chancellor Gordon Brown, had regular meetings with the permanent secretary to the Treasury. Permanent secretaries also might meet junior shadows who hold the brief on a particular policy.

Permanent secretaries will similarly bring along senior officials who are most expert in the topic being discussed. In 2010 the talks for one department concluded with a final meeting involving the whole shadow team and the top team of the department. However, permanent secretaries have to be mindful about the numbers of officials attending and ensure the department remains focused on working for current ministers and are preparing for all scenarios that the election may bring. 

What can the meetings focus on?

Past participants spoke about the value of having a plan where each meeting focused on a different theme. This allowed the permanent secretary to prepare ahead of the meetings and for both sides to decide upon a cast of attendees that reflected the topics to be discussed. Each session might cover a specific policy area, for example reflecting the shadow’s priorities for early action or covering specific sectors of the department’s responsibility.

The discussions have also been an opportunity for civil servants to raise, within the limits of the guidance, issues that might need to be considered alongside the opposition’s policy plans. This could include future and long-term policy concerns or parts of the department’s scope that shadows have not apparently considered.

How are the talks co-ordinated?

During more recent elections, the Cabinet Office and leader of the opposition’s office have played a stronger role in co-ordinating talks than in the past. Shadows and permanent secretaries are usually given a degree of latitude to get on with their own talks, but there is some central co-ordination to make sure the talks are going well and to ensure a whole-of-government perspective on the message being given to the civil service. Past oppositions have sometimes had a representative from the leader’s office attend, though this can affect the nature of the conversation. Similarly past cabinet secretaries have asked permanent secretaries to provide a short note on their meetings, but have understood that these will usually be cursory so as not to break confidences. 

The leader of the opposition or their advisers will also hold talks with the cabinet secretary to focus on the overall policy picture, any departmental re-organisation and plans for No.10 – as well to assess the progress of departmental talks. Some degree of co-ordination by the leader’s office and Cabinet Office helps ensure that the policy priorities of the whole government match up with what permanent secretaries are being told by shadows.