5 d. ago McCloud judgement creates a tricky pension dilemma for civil servants

Like thousands of other civil servants, retired and employed, I have received an offer from the Civil Service Pension Scheme - and my decision is permanent.

Events

9 d. ago Netanyahu is waging war on Gaza and on us – his ‘enemies within’. It’s the path to autocracy | Aluf Benn

Israel’s PM wants to ‘transfer’ Palestinians from Gaza, purge his traditional domestic rivals – and keep the right wing in power for everAluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of HaaretzTurmoil has hit the streets of Israel once again, as thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to oppose Benjamin Netanyahu’s dual effort to rekindle the war in Gaza, risking the lives of Israeli hostages there, and to dismiss senior civil servants who are struggling to halt Israel’s slide to autocracy.Early on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister ordered the bombing of Gaza, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas and killing hundreds of Palestinians in the midst of Ramadan.Aluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of HaaretzDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago SNP's top civil servant insists Government's 'inclusive' single

John Swinney’s most senior civil servant has hit back as suggestions the usage of single-sex spaces within the Scottish Government does not meet legal requirements.

Politics

1 week ago What £22 billion 'black hole'? Civil servants blew taxpayer cash on celebrity cardboard cut

Department records show the Foreign Office used procurement cards to spend £920.30 at Nassau Yacht Club on the Caribbean island, where Prince Philip was an honorary life member.

Economics

1 week ago Security alert as civil servants employ AI to draft and answer Commons questions

The AI assistant Microsoft Copilot, one of the largest pieces of AI technology, is already being used to draft parliamentary responses by the Foreign Office.

Events

2 w. ago Starmer to unveil ‘£45bn jackpot’ in savings by digitalising Whitehall and replacing jobs with AI

Keir Starmer will put thousands of civil servants on job alert tomorrow as he hails a “£45bn jackpot” from digitalising government services.

Economics

2 w. ago AI should replace some work of civil servants, Starmer to announce

The new digital ‘mantra’ prompts unions to warn PM to stop blaming problems on Whitehall officialsAI should replace the work of government officials where it can be done to the same standard, under new rules that have prompted unions to warn Keir Starmer to stop blaming problems on civil servants.As part of his plans for reshaping the state, the prime minister will on Thursday outline how a digital revolution will bring billions of pounds in savings to the government. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Antonia Romeo named as new top civil servant at the Home Office

Dame Antonia replaces Sir Matthew Rycroft, who announced in February he would leave the Home Office after a 35-year Civil Service career.

Society

2 w. ago ‘I’ve been compared to Donald Trump’: how neighbour turned on neighbour over Scotland’s new national park

An ugly fight has ripped through Galloway in south-west Scotland, with rival campaigns complaining of dirty tricks and murky finances. How could the mere possibility of a new national park stir up so much ill will?As soon as the green fields of Galloway, in south-west Scotland, were selected as the preferred site for Britain’s first new national park in 15 years, Denise Brownlee sprang into action. The 64-year-old retired civil servant had served two seasons as a park ranger in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and knew a thing or two about the chaos brought by thoughtless day-trippers and campers. “The detritus!” she says. “I’ve seen a two-man tent used as a human litter tray. You think dog poo on the pavement is bad? Try wandering up any remote little area in a national park. Your faith in humankind gets lost.”In July, Galloway was chosen as the frontrunner from a shortlist of five areas as part of the Scottish government’s pledge to designate at least one new national park – the cou...

Politics

2 w. ago DOGE’s haphazard takeover of Social Security risked data of millions of Americans ‘leaking into the wrong hands’

Tiffany Flick, a civil servant of 30 years, detailed the speed with which a DOGE associate was parachuted into the Social Security Administration to access sensitive data

Events

2 w. ago Starmer: Civil Service reforms will ‘maximise collective power of the state’

Sir Keir Starmer has written to half a million civil servants promising to ‘transform your work for the better’.

Politics

2 w. ago Minister says Labour ‘won’t take a chainsaw to the civil service’ amid cuts backlash

The man described as ‘Keir Starmer’s unofficial deputy prime minister’ insists he has not set targets in slashing the number of civil servants as he unveils reforms

Politics

2 w. ago Civil servants told to deliver or leave as Labour overhauls Whitehall

Highest-paid mandarins at top of organisation will face stricter performance monitoring

Events

2 w. ago Could Labour's reform proposals see more civil servants based in Scotland?

The UK Government is to set out proposals to reform the civil service.

Politics

2 w. ago Underperforming civil servants could be incentivised to leave roles under new reforms

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden has said that ‘the state is not match-fit to rise to the moment our country faces’.

Politics

2 w. ago John Swinney’s officials met fossil fuel firms and lobbyists more than 100 times in first six months as FM

Civil servants held 112 meetings with oil and gas operators in John Swinney's first six months as First Minister

Politics

2 w. ago Civil servants 'will be paid to quit' under plans to save costs as Keir Starmer wages war on The Blob

The Prime Minister is set to unveil proposals to sack under-performing mandarins as well as link the pay of some top officials to specific work targets.

Events

3 w. ago Witness in Alex Salmond trial appointed top civil servant in Scottish Government

Joe Griffin has been announced as the next Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government.

Politics

3 w. ago Trump is concentrating power. A key faction of judges supports the idea | Jan

The ‘unitary executive’ theory – backed by some conservative lawyers – is largely bogus. But it could wreak havoc on democracyWhile Democrats are dithering and debating with consultants about which anti-Trumpian strategy to adopt, courts are confronted with an unprecedented power grab by the president. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are simply not spending money appropriated by Congress, which in turn is unwilling to play its constitutional role and assert the power of the purse. Entire agencies are de facto dismantled – which is also unconstitutional – and civil servants protected from removal by a president keep getting pink slips.The illegality of it all seems so obvious that one would think defenders of democracy could relax and trust judges to do the right thing. But it’s not just that some judges seem to be in the president’s pocket – as evidenced by Trump, after his address to Congress, patting the supreme court’s chief justice on the back and thanking him for a favor he won’t fo...

Politics

3 w. ago Scotland's top civil servant blames SNP Government's financial woes on 'economic shocks'

The outgoing permanent secretary of the Scottish Government has blamed a lack of financial sustainability on economic “shocks” he branded “unprecedented”.

Economics