Martha Lane Fox, one of the unwritten bits of the British Constitution

Whitehall say that between nine and ten million people in the UK have never used the web. They also say that they intend to provide all public services over the web, and only over the web. How can they possibly have argued themselves into this position?

For once, Whitehall's answer is clear, ...

Tom Loosemore: This journey started with Martha Lane Fox’s report demanding that Government ‘revolutionise’ its online services ... Francis Maude: Established in response to Martha Lane Fox’s report ... our core purpose is to ensure the Government offers world-class digital products that meet people’s needs. GDS Projects: The Single Government Domain team are responsible for designing, developing and testing a single domain for government as recommended by the Martha Lane Fox report. Digital Engagement: The Government Digital Service is the new name for the organisation created by the merging of Directgov and the Cabinet Office Digital Delivery and Digital Engagement teams, following the recommendations of the Martha Lane Fox review ... David Mann: HMRC is way ahead of the game in terms of creating a ‘wholesale’ model for delivery of government services online, an approach strongly advocated by Martha Lane Fox ... James Stewart: Martha Lane Fox’s report made delivering high quality APIs a key objective of our work ... Ex-Guardian man Mike Bracken: The mission for GDS, outlined by Martha Lane Fox, requires us all to collaborate ...

... "Martha Lane Fox told us to".

This is a novelty in public administration. When did Ms Lane Fox's dicta take on the mantle of statute law? The constitutional historians must be scratching their heads – nowhere in any of the books covering Henry VIII clauses is there any reference to the MLF Prerogative. Not yet, at least.

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Added 12.12.12:

Government Digital Service Invitation To Tender APPENDIX B – SERVICE DESCRIPTION 1.                  BACKGROUND TO GOVERNMENT DIGITAL SERVICE 1.1               The Government Digital Service (GDS/the Authority) is a new organisation that has been created through a merger of the Cabinet Office Digital Delivery and Digital Engagement teams with Directgov, the "one-stop shop" for online government. It is the aim of GDS to be the centre for digital government in the UK, building and championing a 'digital culture' that puts the user first and delivers the best, low-cost public services possible. 1.2               GDS is responsible for implementing the recommendations set out in the 2010 review of Directgov, undertaken by Martha Lane Fox. These recommendations called for the overhaul of 750 separate government websites, to be replaced by a single Internet "front-door" to public services on the web.