The UK government has set out a new approach to public service reform, with the launch of CustomerFirst, a dedicated unit within the Government Digital Service (GDS) designed to transform how services are delivered end to end.
Announced as part of the government’s wider digital strategy, CustomerFirst will operate as a two-year pilot to test whether a more autonomous, product-led delivery model can overcome the structural barriers that have historically slowed transformation across government.
While digital delivery has improved many services over the past decade, GDS acknowledges that too many remain fragmented, slow and constrained by legacy systems and organisational silos.
CustomerFirst is intended to address this by shifting the focus from improving individual digital journeys to redesigning services end to end, combining policy, operations and technology into a single transformation effort.
The unit, which sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), is tasked with exploring “fresh ways of working” that can modernise services at scale.
A “NewCo” model for government
At the heart of the initiative is a “NewCo” approach – a semi-autonomous operating model more commonly seen in the private sector.
Under this model, multidisciplinary teams are given the freedom to work outside traditional departmental constraints, enabling them to move at the pace of user need and test new delivery approaches in live services.
The approach builds on previous government programmes, including the Universal Credit reset and the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, where similar models were used to accelerate delivery.
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CustomerFirst will also bring together expertise from across the public and private sectors, with leadership drawn from industry. Tristan Thomas, formerly of Monzo, leads the unit, alongside co-chair Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy.
Initial focus on high-impact services
The programme will initially partner with up to four public sector organisations to deliver “radical” service transformation over the next two years.
The first confirmed partnership is with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), with further collaborations expected to be announced 2026.
Each project will focus on redesigning services from end to end, addressing not just user interfaces but also underlying casework systems, processes and organisational structures. The government’s ambition is to deliver faster, simpler and more joined-up services, while ensuring accessibility for users who cannot engage digitally.
Three core objectives
CustomerFirst has set out three primary goals for its pilot phase:
- Deliver measurable service transformation: Improving outcomes for citizens through end-to-end redesign of priority services.
- Build capability and evidence: Testing the NewCo model and developing a reusable toolkit for wider government adoption.
- Demonstrate value for money: Contributing to the estimated £45 billion in unrealised efficiency savings identified in the State of Digital Government Review.
Progress will be shared openly through regular updates, with a formal monitoring and evaluation framework in place from the outset.
The initiative forms a key part of the government’s roadmap for modern digital government, which emphasises AI adoption, joined-up platforms and stronger digital capability across the public sector.
CustomerFirst is expected to play a central role in demonstrating how emerging technologies, including AI, can be applied responsibly to improve service delivery at scale.
