In the preface to the first edition of Little Dorrit, Dickens proclaims that his novelistic exposition of the ‘whole Science of Government’ was based on the ‘common experience of an Englishman.’ Dickens in other words meant to give the laity’s perspective on public administration. However, ideas about officialdom tend to be shaped not only by experience, but also by stories.

*Professor Nigel Biggar*, CBE, is Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology and Director of the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Life at the University of Oxford. Described as “one of the leading living Western ethicists” (John Gray, New Statesman, 25 November 2020), he is the author of In Defence of War (Oxford, 2013) and What’s Wrong with Rights? (Oxford, 2020). William Collins will publish his next book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, in February 2023.

*Peter Hitchens* is one of Britain's most accomplished journalists, debaters and conservative thinkers. He currently writes for The Mail on Sunday, contributes regularly to most major British newspapers, is a former foreign correspondent for the Daily Express, and has won the Orwell Prize for his political journalism. He is the author of numerous books, including The Abolition of Britain: From Winston Churchill To Theresa May (Bloomsbury, 2018) and The Phoney Victory: The World War II Illusion (I.B. Tauris, 2018).

*Professor Andrew Roberts* is one of Britain's most distinguished historians, journalists and broadcasters. He is the author of nineteen books, the most recent of which are his world-renowned biographies of Winston Churchill, Churchill: Walking With Destiny (Allen Lane, 2018) and King George III, George III: The Life and Reign of Britain's Most Misunderstood Monarch (Allen Lane, 2021).

*Katharine Birbalsingh CBE* is the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission and Headmistress and co-founder of Michaela Community School in Wembley, London. She has a lifetime of distinguished service in the UK education system, is a celebrated author and broadcaster, and is often referred to as 'Britain's strictest headteacher'.