Unions moan that Boris’s plans to cut 91,000 jobs will leave civil service unable to handle post-Brexit workload
- Union leaders warn against Boris Johnson’s plan to cut 91,000 civil service jobs
- They say it will leave Whitehall unable to deal with new Brexit responsibilities
- PM recently ordered ministers to reduce the civil service to its 2016 size
Union leaders have voiced fresh angst at Boris Johnson’s plan to slash 91,000 civil service jobs as they warned the planned cuts would leave Whitehall unable to cope with its post-Brexit workload.
The Prime Minister recently ordered ministers and senior officials to reduce the civil service to the size it was in 2016.
In the aftermath of the EU referendum, the number of civil service jobs ballooned significantly due to both Brexit and the Covid pandemic.
Mr Johnson last week wrote to all civil servants to apologise for the ‘concern and uncertainty’ being caused by the proposed job cuts.
But he defended his plans to slim down Whitehall over the next three years by insisting there was no longer a need for the State to have the same ‘colossal presence’ in people’s lives.
The PM is now facing fresh opposition from union leaders who are warning Mr Johnson’s plans will leave the civil service smaller – relative to the size of the UK population – than at any time in recent history.
In the aftermath of the EU referendum, the number of civil service jobs ballooned significantly due to both Brexit and the Covid pandemic
Boris Johnson recently ordered ministers and senior officials to reduce the civil service to the size it was in 2016
The TUC, led by Frances O’Grady, warned the PM’s plans would see the number of civil servants drop to a new low of 56 per 10,000 UK citizens by 2025
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, vowed to ‘fight for every job in the civil service’
Figures from the TUC, as reported by the Observer, show that for every 10,000 UK citizens, the number of civil servants fell from 76 in 2010, when the Tories first came to power, to 59 in 2016.
By last year, that had risen to 70 for every 10,000 UK citizens as civil service staff numbers rose due to Brexit and Covid.
The TUC warned that, under the PM’s plans to slash 91,000 jobs, the number of civil servants would drop to a new low of 56 per 10,000 by 2025.
There are currently 485,000 civil servants in the UK.
In June 2016, when the EU referendum took place, there were 384,000 civil servants – the smallest number since the Second World War.
Union leaders warned the planned cuts would leave Whitehall unable to deal with its new post-Brexit role in areas such as immigration, trade and farming.
Steven Littlewood, assistant general secretary FDA union, told the newspaper: ‘Given the new responsibilities the government has post-Brexit for areas like borders, customs and agriculture, it is impossible to see how it can provide the services it currently is with the proposed job losses.
‘The government needs to be honest about what services it would cut if it reduces numbers.’
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said: ‘Making cuts will only make things worse, make waiting lists longer for those seeking passports and driving licences and make telephone queues longer for those with tax enquiries.
‘We shall fight for every job in the civil service. Not just on behalf of our members but on behalf of every member of the public who relies on the services they provide.’
TUC boss Frances O’Grady said: ‘There will be harm to families and businesses that depend on services.
‘The Conservatives said we would build back better. Now it’s cut back harder.’
In the first sign of Government action to reduce staff numbers, it recently emerged that the civil service fast stream graduate recruitment programme will be paused for at least a year.
More than 1,000 civil service job offers were made as part of the scheme in 2021.
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