There are these pre-existing relationships or people are part of the same ideological group within the party.

All of that can have an influence. I think the short answer is it depends on the

Prime Minister and it depends on the department. Hello and welcome to the latest episode of our

special inside briefing series becoming a minister. In this series, former ministers and civil servants

reveal what is really like to hold ministerial office and how to do the job well.

You will hear all about the challenges, confusion, decisions and drama of a job which really is like no other.

My name is Tim Durant, program director for ministers at the IFG.

In this episode, we're talking about the centre of government, number 10.

Number 10 Downing Street is the residence

and office of the Prime Minister, but it's much more than that too. With a team of special

advisors and civil servants keeping an eye on all of government and potentially interfering in

anything that a minister is working on, all ministers need to make sure they have a good working

relationship with number 10. So we'll hear from former ministers and civil servants about their experiences working with number

10, the various factors that inform that relationship, the different players that can help

or hinder a good working relationship, and which Prime Minister was uninterested in any regular

reporting from his cabinet.

Estelle Morris spent most of her ministerial career in the

Department for Education, followed by a couple of years in the Department for Culture, Media and

and Sport. She tells us what her relationship with Number 10 was like in those roles.

The advisor, the number 10 education advisor, which was David Miliband followed by Ander Adonis,

I met with a lot because schools was

a priority within the education agenda and I was meant to be looking after schools. So I met with them

...