Reform would cut more than 68,000 civil service jobs
Reform UK would cut the number of civil servants by 68,500 if the party won the next election, Danny Kruger has said.
The East Wiltshire MP, who is leading efforts to get ready for government, said the plan would cut the salary bill by 17% and save the taxpayer £5.2 billion a year.
He told a press conference in Westminster: “That’s £4 billion in averted salary costs, which will be realised within two years, and £1 billion in averted pension contributions that will be realised in the years ahead.”
He said the first phase of plans to reform the government would also see the party invest an additional £400 million – for a total of £500 million – into a bonus pot to reward “high-performing” civil servants rather than giving them “over-generous” pension contributions.
Mr Kruger insisted the party’s plans would improve working in central government, and would be “radical” and “thorough”.
He said: “Someone once said that a hard rain is going to fall on Whitehall, and I do see the need for serious weather, but after the rain, after the storm, there will be sunshine – it’s going to be a better place to work.”
Asked how he expected to attract talent to the Civil Service by reducing pension contributions that form a key draw for many to apply, he said: “We value people who have a long career in the Civil Service. Obviously, their pension should reflect their service.
“Nevertheless, we don’t want an organisation in which the main reason to work there is that you can look forward to a good pension once you retire.
“We want people to work for the public interest, and we want the type of people who will be incentivised by the opportunity of performance-related pay, rather than a distant and over-generous pension.”
He said he expected the cost of Civil Service redundancies to pay for itself within two years under Reform UK plans, based on it costing around £60,000 to let someone go.
Mr Kruger told reporters his party would not be “judgmental”, after an endorsement from OnlyFans personality and adult content creator Bonnie Blue, real name Tia Billinger.
He told a press conference: “On Bonnie Blue I mean, listen, we’ll take votes wherever we can get them.
“We know we want all the support we can get, quite like Bonnie Blue.
“But we, you know, we’re not going to be fussy about that.
“But listen, I mean, you know I’m not going to be be judgmental about people who want to vote Reform.”
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yeah, all the MP’s and ex Tory defecting to reform are responsible for one of the worst hits on the UK in its history. Austerity and service cut backs and then brexit, along with farage. No provenance in running a country, only ruining a country. Every council they run, the costs are rocketing. reform will destroy the UK. They will strip mine wales. Remeber farage and his gassing jokes? They will bring back race hate on a scale you have never seen in the UK. His hit squads will be kicking doors in on people the wrong colour. Remember Krugers… Read more »
These clowns are definitely not ready to govern anything except their shoe cabinets and even that sounds doubtful.
Why 68,000? Why not fire them all?
People forget that Blair/Prescott did create loads of civil service jobs in the late 90s to get the unemployment figures down. Of course some cuts can be made but then the victims have to go on benefits etc and we go round in circles.
People forget that the Cons took us into Europe to outsource huge swathes of the public sector. Taking back control meant unavoidable civil service bloat.
Perhaps Reform could tell everyone what services will no longer be provided. And before anyone says ‘efficiencies’, just remember every government since 1979 has claimed they will make efficiency savings and then gone on to pass legislation that requires Civil Servants to put into practice.