Sandi Toksvig and Gina Miller hoping to become first female Cambridge chancellor
QI host and former The Great British Bake Off presenter Ms Toksvig and businesswoman Mrs Miller, who came to prominence bringing legal cases over Brexit, are in the race to become the first female Cambridge chancellor.
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Edinburgh Reporter
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
First Minister meeting with EU Ambassador to the UK
First Minister John Swinney will meet European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom Pedro Serrano at Bute House on Wednesday to discuss the challenges and opportunities to arise from the recent deal between the UK and the EU. They will be joined by the Slovenian Ambassador Sanja Štiglic and Bulgarian Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, as part of a delegation to Scotland. Later today the First Minister will also meet the Minister-President of Flanders at an event to celebrate 25 years of Flemish trade and investment in Scotland. The First Minister views both engagements as opportunities to reinforce the strong relationship that exists between Scotland and the EU. He said: 'The European Union is one of our most important economic and security partners. While the deal struck on the 19 May represents long-overdue progress in rebuilding our relationship, no agreement can deliver the economic, social and security benefits we lost with Brexit in 2020. 'That is why I firmly believe Scotland's best future lies as an independent country within the EU. More than ever, the current uncertain economic and geopolitical environment reinforces the importance of Scotland having the security, stability and opportunity that comes with EU membership. 'In the meantime we will continue to engage with nations and regions across Europe to maximise opportunities through trade, investment, innovation and academia. As we enter the next phase of negotiations, we stand ready to be closely involved as the UK Government develops its future priorities for working with the EU.' Bute House PHOTO © 2024 The Edinburgh Reporter Like this: Like Related
Spectator
7 hours ago
- Spectator
Does David Bull know why people vote Reform?
In a week of high drama, in which Reform lost its chairman and then saw him return 48 hours later, the party could have hoped for a quiet news day. Slim chance of that. After Zia Yusuf returned as party chairman, Reform held a press conference to announce that Yusuf would head the party's DOGE unit to uncover waste at councils – and would be replaced as chairman by Dr David Bull. A former Conservative, Bull is better known than his predecessor was when taking the role, having formerly presented Newsround and Most Haunted, becoming an MEP for the Brexit party in 2019 and the co-host of the TalkTV weekend breakfast show in 2022. As James Heale notes, he is also popular with members, being both 'a gregarious character and a longtime Farage loyalist.' A key part of Bull's role will be in handling the media; but his first steps in the new role, it appears he has already stumbled, stating that 'immigration is the lifeblood of this country, it always has been'.
Times
8 hours ago
- Times
Civil service workforce reaches highest level for nearly 20 years
The number of civil servants has hit a near 20-year high, despite a pledge by ministers to reduce the size of Whitehall. Official statistics showed that the number of people employed by the government grew by 2,000 in the first three months of this year to reach its highest level since 2006. A total of 550,000 people were employed as civil servants in March up from 548,000 in December and a rise of 1 per cent on the same time last year. The figure is 130,000 more than in June 2016 — since then numbers have been steadily increasing, driven in part by the impact of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. It came as official figures published on Tuesday showed that employment in the UK last month fell at the quickest pace since the early stages of the pandemic as wage growth dropped to its lowest level since September. Data from HM Revenue & Customs showed that the number of payroll employees fell by just over 109,000 in May, the largest monthly decline since May 2020. On an annual basis, payrolls dropped by 274,000. The drop in employment came after the £25 billion rise in employers' national insurance contributions took effect in early April. Since Rachel Reeves's inaugural budget in October, the number of payroll employees has contracted by 276,000, suggesting that higher employment taxes announced in the budget prompted companies to shed staff. Ministers have committed to reducing the size of the civil service as part of the government's spending review; as many as 50,000 posts expected to be abolished over the next few years. However at the same time the government has announced plans to set up almost 30 new government quangos in a move which critics claim will increase the size of the state. A government spokesperson insisted that the most recent increase had been driven by recruitment to 'operational roles' including tax collectors and probation officers who were classed as civil servants in official statistics. 'As part of our Plan for Change, we are creating a more agile and productive state — reducing back-office costs to deliver savings of over £2 billion by 2030 and targeting spending on frontline services,' they said. 'We have already announced a new cross-government fund for exit schemes to reduce staffing numbers over the next two years, as well as introducing measures to make it quicker and easier to remove poor performers from post.' Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said in March that Civil Service running costs would be reduced by 15 per cent by the end of the decade. As well as abolishing quangos such as NHS England, ministers have committed to increasing the proportion of civil servants working in digital and data roles, creating a workforce 'fit for the future'. However, Alex Burghart, the shadow cabinet office minister, described the figures as 'crazy'. 'The Conservatives set out clear plans to reduce the size of the civil service — plans Labour have ignored,' he said. 'Instead, they've already set up 29 new quangos and arms-length bodies. They are just not serious.' Two government departments together account for more than a third of the full Civil Service headcount: the Department for Work & Pensions (17.6 per cent of the total) and the Ministry of Justice (17.5 per cent). The next largest are HM Revenue & Customs (12.9 per cent), the Ministry of Defence (10.5 per cent) and the Home Office (9.2 per cent).
