Gordon Brown introduced the Cabinet Manual in 2011 in advance of what looked set to be a coalition or minority government in order to clarify the operation of government at a time when conventions and unwritten rules looked to be insufficient. The Cabinet Secretary at the time, Gus O’Donnell, who drew the document up, took inspiration from New Zealand – a country with similar politics and which also lacks a formal written constitution. Here, Grant Duncan describes the evolution of New Zealand politics since their cabinet manual came into force.
