Keir Starmer under pressure to cut costs as quango expenditure doubles
Sir Keir Starmer faced calls to ensure his pledge to scale back the state provides savings for taxpayers instead of superficially cutting organisations, but not staff numbers or expenditure.
Analysis shared with The Times showed that arm's-length bodies (ALBs) spent £343.6 billion in 2022-23, which was a 243 per cent increase from 2012-13.
• More than 1,300 quango staff on salaries and benefits over £100,000
In 2022-23, spending by quangos represented 29.6 per cent of all public sector expenditure, which is more than double 2012-13, when it was 13.2 per cent.
Staff numbers have increased by 63.6 per cent to 390,808 over the
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Notting Hill face-recognition technology will be used without bias
Metropolitan Police boss Sir Mark Rowley has said live facial recognition (LFR) technology will be used without bias amid concerns about it being deployed at this year's Notting Hill Carnival. In a letter to the commissioner, 11 groups had said the technology is a 'mass surveillance tool that treats all carnival-goers as potential suspects' and has 'no place at one of London's biggest cultural celebrations'. It also said that LFR technology was 'less accurate for women and people of colour' in certain settings. Responding to the concerns, Sir Mark said the technology will help locate any dangerous individuals attending Notting Hill carnival over the August bank holiday weekend. He wrote that when the technology was used at the carnival in 2016 and 2017, it 'did not build public confidence', but has since 'significantly improved' and now performs to a 'much higher standard'. Sir Mark acknowledged concerns about bias in facial recognition technology, adding that the force has selected the algorithm it uses 'with care' and knows how to use it in a non-discriminatory way. It comes after the letter, signed by groups including Liberty and Big Brother Watch, said there is 'no clear legal basis' for Scotland Yard's use of LFR. The letter added: 'Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias.' Rebecca Vincent, interim director at Big Brother Watch, said she is 'deeply disappointed' that the Met 'has chosen to dig its heels in' after the call to scrap the 'Orwellian' technology. She added: 'We all want criminals off the streets, but turning (the) carnival into a mass police line-up is not the way to do it.' About 7,000 officers and staff will be deployed each day over the weekend. LFR cameras will be used by police at the carnival to search for people who are marked as being wanted on the police national computer. Meanwhile, a UK retail facial recognition system has reported its highest-ever monthly total of suspect alerts, its operators say. In July 2025, Facewatch sent 43,602 alerts to subscriber retail stores – the equivalent of more than 10,000 suspects flagged every week for the first time and a 134.8% increase compared to July 2024 (18,564). Over the 12 months to July 31, Facewatch said it recorded 407,771 alerts in total, with current live data already showing the rising trend continuing into August. Nick Fisher, chief executive of Facewatch, said: 'July's record numbers are a further stark warning that retailers and their employees are facing unprecedented levels of criminal activity, including violent and aggressive behaviour.' A spokeswoman for Big Brother Watch said: 'This technology turns shoppers into walking barcodes and makes us a nation of suspects, with devastating consequences for people's lives when it inevitably makes mistakes.'
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Students can get free AirPods for a limited time with this deal
If you're one of the thousands of young people to have received a place at university last week, you're likely embarking on the last-minute scramble to sort your accommodation, travel and equipment for the year ahead. Perhaps you're a returning student, and you've been working a summer job to upgrade a lousy laptop that decided to crash five minutes before your assignment is due. No matter what your reason is for wanting to upgrade your back-to-school tech, I've spied an incredible laptop deal. University students, parents and anyone working in education can get a free pair of AirPods 4 with the purchase of an iPad, MacBook or iMac. Of course, a brand new iPad, MacBook or Mac is a significant purchase, and as The Independent 's consumer writer, my main priority is to save you money. If you weren't planning on buying a brand new Mac, iPad, MacBook or iMac, it's not a financially responsible choice to drop hundreds of pounds just because Apple are throwing a pair of AirPods. Even with this deal, you'll be spending far more than you would if you bought a non-Apple tablet or laptop, and opted for a less expensive pair of our best wireless earbuds. If you're an Apple fan, you could also save hundreds by getting refurbished models from a reputable site like BackMarket. However, if you're set on a new iPad, Mac or MacBook, now's a good time to go for it. While third parties often beat Apple on price, through its Education Store, you can currently get up to 11 per cent off, plus a free pair of AirPods 4 to listen to your study playlist. Running until Tuesday 21 October, this deal is only available for a limited time. Here's what you need to know. Who can buy the student AirPods deal? We're calling it a student deal, but really, it's available to more people than that. Here's who can get it: New and returning university students Parents of new and returning university students Teachers and other employees of any educational institution, which includes not just universities but also schools and colleges You'll need to go to the Education Store and sign up using Unidays. Parents will need to get their child to verify through Unidays before completing a purchase. Education workers can create a Unidays staff account. Upgrade to the AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation As part of this deal, you can choose to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 2, usually sold for £229, for an additional £50. For example, if you get a MacBook Air on the Education Store for £899, and you choose the AirPods Pro, you'll pay £949. Similarly, if minimising background noise is important to you, there's an option to upgrade to the AirPods 4, usually sold for £129, with active noise cancellation. This will cost an extra £50, unless you're getting an iMac in which case no extra charge will be added. Other accessories included in this deal AirPods aren't the only accessories included in this deal. If you wanted to, you could get an Apple keyboard, mouse, trackpad or Apple pencil pro as part of some of the bundle offers. You'll be asked which accessory you want to choose before you check out – just make sure you check the total at the end so you don't end up paying an extra fee by accident. Get a free pair of AirPods 4 with these Apple deals We've listed the products you can get a free pair of AirPods with below. Each model has different options available for storage, size and colour, but we've listed the lowest price you can get each one from under the deal. You can get an iPad Air, with a pair of AirPods 4 included, on Apple's Education store. This isn't the cheapest price we've seen for this model, as you can nab it for £417.89 on On Buy, but with the AirPods 4 included, Apple comes out on top here. The iPad Pro, which tech critic David Phelan called 'monsterously powerful and impossibly thin', is 11 per cent off on Apple's education store. Again, this price is beaten by On Buy, which is selling it for £747, but you won't get the AirPods 4 included. This tech icon is on sale for 11 per cent off on Apple's Education Store with AirPods 4 thrown in. Not bothered about the AirPods? You can get it without from Amazon for £849. You can save £100 on the latest MacBook Pro, and get a pair of AirPods thrown in when you buy it via Apple's Education store. At the time of writing, this is the lowest price for a new MacBook Pro from a reputable retailer. Though a £50 discount might not seem like much for a product this costly, this is the best price we've seen for an iMac at the moment – and that's without factoring in the AirPods 4, which you'll get bundled in.
Auto Express
16 minutes ago
- Auto Express
Car Deal of the Day: Cupra Formentor offers style, power and low running costs for £253 a month
Stand-out looks; Desirable V2 model 201bhp; 74-mile electric range Just £252.91 a month Spot a Cupra on the road and it'll most likely be the Cupra Formentor. The performance brand's first official model (rather than being a rebadged SEAT like the Ateca and Leon) has been a tremendous success. And it's little wonder when there are deals like this available. Advertisement - Article continues below You can get the keys to an entry-level Formentor V1 petrol for just £246.82 a month from Leasing Options, but we'd be tempted to fork out an extra £6.09 a month to get this higher spec V2 plug-in hybrid version. The V2 gets an added range of tasty extras, such as larger 19-inch alloys, heated front seats, an electrically-adjustable driver's seat with memory function, and a hands-free electric tailgate. That's on top of the standard car's 12.9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sports seats and a wireless phone charger. To get this deal you'll need to set aside £3,384.91 as an initial payment, followed by 24 payments of £252.91. Mileage is capped at 5,000 miles a year, but an 8,000-mile limit can be had for an extra £30.86 a month. Under the bonnet you'll find one of the Volkswagen Group's punchy but very frugal 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid petrol engines. With 201bhp and an electric motor, performance is pretty punchy, but the star of the show here is the pure-electric range. At 74 miles, you could reasonably travel around without ever touching the petrol engine in typical everyday driving. Cupra recently gave the Formentor a refreshed look on the outside, with a tweaked front and rear-end to add more presence. Regardless, with its beefy proportions and sloping roofline it's still a very handsome machine. The sporty looks are backed up with a sharp driving experience, too. The Car Deal of the Day selections we make are taken from our own Auto Express Find A Car deals service, which includes the best current offers from car dealers and leasing companies around the UK. Terms and conditions apply, while prices and offers are subject to change and limited availability. If this deal expires, you can find more top Cupra Formentor leasing offers from leading providers on our Cupra Formentor page. Check out the Cupra Formentor deal or take a look at our previous Car Deal of the Day selection here …
