"I pretty much assumed it would be the end for me, and actually used the final six weeks to just get as many final decisions over the line as I could."

George Eustice, Secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs (2020–22)

Approaching a general election can be a tricky period to navigate for ministers, for the officials who work most closely with them and for the wider department. For private office teams, while the priority will always be to fully support your minister and the department, there’s still a need for sufficient preparation to enable as smooth a transition as possible if the election results in a new minister or a whole new government. There are some important ways that private office teams can approach that preparation to make sure you – and to an extent officials elsewhere in the department – are ready to handle the range of potential election outcomes.

1. Be prepared for shifts in ministerial focus – both towards and away from the department

Of course, the main concern of the private office team needs to remain supporting your minister in progressing their priorities. This means business as usual – make sure that you’re clear on your minister’s current priorities so that you can organise their paperwork and meetings accordingly and communicate them to the rest of the department.

In the run-up to a general election (or even to an anticipated reshuffle or dismissal), some ministers may want to use their remaining time in office to make as much progress on as many of their priorities as possible. This might mean additional pressure from them on the department to deliver faster. By contrast, other ministers’ focus could shift to their constituencies, especially if they are in a marginal seat – they may want to spend more time and energy on their role as an MP, leaving less for the work of the department.

Be alive to these possible changes, and use your role as translator between your minister and the wider department to help them understand these shifts and what it means for their own work.

2. Take time to think through the practicalities of a change of government

If a general election brings about a change in governing party, lots of administrative and logistical changes will need to be made immediately – from website copy and email signatures to signage and security arrangements – so that when new ministers arrive, there is no trace of the previous administration. Getting these sorts of details right can make a big difference to how well ministers feel a transition into office has gone, and give them the sense that officials are ready and willing to work for them, as well as giving a good impression of the civil service generally.

Not all of these changes will be your team’s direct responsibility to make, but you are likely to be among the first to notice – or to hear about it from your minister – if something hasn’t been adjusted. Make sure that your team has thought through which changes will need to be made most urgently, and come up with a plan of who will be responsible for what on the day – including co-ordinating with others across the department where that’s relevant.