Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to draw up plans to cut more than 90,000 civil service jobs to free up billions of pounds for measures to ease the cost of living crisis with possible tax cuts.
During a day off with cabinet ministers in Stoke-on-Trent, the prime minister asked them to report in a month’s time on how they can reduce the size of their departments’ workforce to 2016 levels.
That would imply a reduction of about a fifth in the 475,000-strong workforce. Details of the plan will be established in due course, the government said. It would be expected to save around £3.5bn a year.
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The head of the civil servants’ union described the announcement as “another headline-grabbing stunt or reckless slash-and-burn act of public services”, warning that the Passport Office or the Department of Health and Social Care could be affected.
It comes as Johnson faces pressure to do more to tackle the cost of living crisis, which has seen inflation soar to its highest level in three decades, with Conservative MPs pushing for tax cuts and Labor accusing him of being “devoid of ideas”.
The prime minister told the Daily Mail, which was first to report on the planned cuts, that the civil service had become “bloated” during the pandemic.
He added: “Every pound the government takes from taxpayers is money they can spend on their own priorities, on their own lives.”
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The announcement appears to flesh out a comment by the Prime Minister during the Queen’s Speech debate earlier this week, when he spoke about the need to “cut the cost of government”.
ITV News reported that the prime minister and chancellor met on Monday to begin drawing up the plan, which would include a ban on filling vacancies without special permission from ministers.
A government spokesman said: “It is clear to the Prime Minister and ministers that the civil service does an outstanding job of serving the public and driving progress on government priorities.
“But when people and businesses across the country face rising costs, the public rightly expects their government to lead by example and operate as efficiently as possible.”
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Civil service unions are already at odds with ministers, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, who are trying to pressure civil servants who have been working from home during the pandemic to return to Whitehall desks.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, tweeted: “Ultimately, they can reduce the civil service to 2016 levels, but they must decide what the civil service should stop doing as a consequence.”
“Will the Passport Office be cut? Or the Department of Health and Social Care?
“Unless they have a serious plan, it’s another headline-grabbing stunt or reckless cutting and burning of utilities without thinking or caring about the consequences.”
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A Labor spokesman said: “Cabinet said it would focus on the cost of living crisis facing families across the country.
“Instead of implementing an emergency budget, they have chosen to disappoint workers yet again through senseless rhetoric and inaction.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Minister for Brexit Opportunity and Government Efficiency, will speak to Sky News from 7am this morning.
Reference-news.sky.com