Comment: I think this is a notable topic. Submitter, are you able to add page numbers to the references where relevant? And are there any secondary sources you can add? If this is notable, the press must have covered it at times. Tacyarg (talk) 21:36, 21 April 2026 (UTC)- Comment: I have added the page references and secondary sources
Access talks, also known as pre-election contact, is a process whereby senior members of the Opposition and senior civil servants in the run up to a general election to assist the Opposition and Civil Service to prepare for a change of government.[1]: 3 Access talks are separate from briefings provided to the Leader of the Opposition and senior members of the Shadow Cabinet which take place between elections.[2]: 4
Harold Wilson gave the first public statement on access talks in 1970, but access talks had been taking place before this.[3]: 20 Access talks are governed by the 'Douglas-Home rules', which require the talks to be 'discreet','on a factual basis' and that the Prime Minister must 'know nothing whatsoever'.[3]: 20 [4]
Content
During access talks the Civil Service explains the existing machinery of government and the Opposition explains their priorities and proposed changes to government departments and the parties confirm the Opposition ministers living and office arrangements.[5] The Civil Service does not advise the Opposition on its policies.[5] However, senior civil servants sometimes ask questions in a way to provide advice, such as asking whether a particular department has weighed in on the matter, or if the opposition has considered a previous time the policy was tried.[5][6]
Timing
Access talks begin when authorised by the Prime Minister.[1]: 23 Before 1992, access talks took place six months before the end of the Parliament, although no talks took place before the election period in 1983 and 1987, due to the short duration of these Parliaments[2]: 6 Following the 1992 election, the then Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister agreed to lengthen the period of talks.[2]: 6 Between 1992 and 2010 elections, access talks began at least 15 months before the end of the Parliament.[7]: 15 In 2015, the talks began 7 months before the end of the Parliament, but this was in the context of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, which fixed the date of the election.[7]: 15 In 2017 and 2019, access talks began at or slightly before the calling of snap elections. In 2024, access talks were authorised approximately 12 months before the scheduled end of the Parliament.[8]
References
- Gus O'Donnell (14 December 2010). "Cabinet Manual" (PDF). Cabinet Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- Oonagh Gay (22 May 2014). "Pre-election contacts between civil servants and opposition parties". House of Commons Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- Peter Riddell and Catherine Haddon (October 2009). "Transitions: preparing for changes of government" (PDF). Institute for Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- "A typically British way to smooth handovers of power". The Economist. 9 January 2024. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- Jill Rutter (16 January 2024). "Access talks". UK in a Changing Europe. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- Dan Bloom and Aggie Chambre (1 December 2024). "UK Labour Party admits it's not ready for government — yet". Politico. Archived from the original on 10 August 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- Emma Norris, Catherine Haddon, Jack Worlidge, Joe Owen, and Ben Paxton (January 2024). "Preparing for Government" (PDF). Institute for Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Peter Walker (11 January 2024). "Sunak allows Labour to meet civil servants to prepare for possible election victory". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2026.