It was initially created in June 2001 to monitor progress on and strengthen the British government's capacity to deliver on key campaign priorities of Prime Minister Tony Blair's second-term government: education, health, crime and transport.
[1] The Unit reported to the Prime Minister through the Head of the Civil Service (the Cabinet Secretary).
He left in mid-2005 and was replaced by Ian Watmore, the head of the Cabinet Office Delivery and Transformation Group, in January 2006.
The Unit worked in partnership with the HM Treasury, 10 Downing Street, the Cabinet Office and stakeholder departments within the Government of the United Kingdom, to assess delivery and provide performance management for the Government's top public priorities.
[6] Prime Minister Boris Johnson restored the unit in the summer of 2021 after a review by Sir Michael Barber, with Emily Lawson as its director.