29 h. 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

31 h. ago Our universe could exist within a black hole, Nasa data suggests

New data goes against previous assumptions about the universe

Politics

32 h. ago Unexpected NASA discovery hints we could be living in a black hole

Puzzling observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope suggest the entire universe exists inside a black hole

Politics

66 h. ago Stalling growth leaves Rachel Reeves facing a £4.4billion black hole ahead of her Spring Statement 

Britain's darkening growth outlook means that the £9.9billion 'headroom' left by the Budget in October has been more than wiped out, the Resolution Foundation think-tank said.

Economics

3 d. 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

3 d. 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

6 d. ago Groundbreaking theory may transform our understanding of ‘white holes’

Time is traditionally viewed as linear, but researchers say it could be dynamic

Events

6 d. 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

6 d. 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

7 d. 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

8 d. ago ‘Out of the blue’: search for answers goes on after North Sea tanker collision

Investigators will look into reports deck of cargo ship Solong was unmanned when the catastrophe took placeIn the North Sea, about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire, the smouldering wreck of a 183-metre tanker is being kept in place by tugboats.The central part of the vessel has been caved in, with water gushing from a hole in its side. Sections are covered in black soot, evidence of the raging blaze that engulfed the ship when it was struck by a smaller cargo ship on Monday morning, with the flames from multiple explosions only just dying down on Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. 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

9 d. 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

9 d. 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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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

1 week 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