7 days ago
Reform ‘could wipe out the Blob at a stroke'
Reform UK could wipe out the so-called Blob 'at a stroke' if it won power, a former Cabinet secretary has said.
Lord Case said Nigel Farage could rapidly remove the 'obstacles' clogging up the Civil Service if he did his 'homework' on government reform.
The former mandarin, who served five prime ministers during his time in No 10, has previously said Mr Farage should be invited for talks with civil servants to help him prepare for government.
In a new interview with The Spectator, he said he could envisage Reform unblocking the machinery of Whitehall in one fell swoop if it won the next election.
It is something Labour is vying to achieve, with Sir Keir Starmer vowing to tackle the 'over-cautious and flabby' state with wholesale reform of the Civil Service.
Speaking about Reform's prospects, Lord Case said: 'If they did their homework, you could remove all of those obstacles at a stroke. It's not just the top things, like scrapping the Office for Budget Responsibility, but here are all the people who can block planning applications for motorways or power stations.
'Here are all the statutory consultees every time you launch a new business support programme.'
Reform has pledged to use its new-found power on local councils to save taxpayers' money by cracking down on waste and bureaucracy, with a focus on net zero and working from home.
It has led to a string of Reform recruits butting heads with the officials helping to run the party's new town halls, prompting some frustrated staff to resign.
George Finch, the teenage leader of Warwickshire county council, clashed with his chief executive over a Pride flag, while Luke Campbell, the new mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, has become embroiled in a battle with his own staff.
In an interview with The Spectator, Mr Finch said he was told shortly after his election that his councillors would have to fall in line. He claimed the council's chief executive told him: 'I know you're trying to get rid of me… Well, you can't get rid of me. The way it works around here is your councillors play ball.'
The 19-year-old allegedly replied: 'Are you joking? You have to work with us. It's not the other way around. We've been put here by the electorate. You haven't.'
He compared rows over diversity, equity and inclusion and net zero to the satirical TV show Yes Minister, claiming officials told him: 'Are you sure this is what you want to do? Voters might not like it.'
Warwickshire county council declined to respond to the claims, according to The Spectator.
Lord Case advised Mr Farage not to assume that the lessons from local government could be transposed directly onto Westminster. Instead, he urged him to invest time in researching 'what is wrong with government' before attempting to overturn the systems in Whitehall.
He said: 'Politicians across the political spectrum are united in their frustration that the British system isn't delivering. The really interesting question for Reform is will they do the homework required to understand immediately the changes they need to make in how government works?
'Nigel Farage probably never spends time at the Institute for Government – but read what the IfG says about what is wrong with government, what is wrong with the bureaucracy and the laws that have put unaccountable officials in charge of things instead of politicians.'
The Telegraph revealed that thousands more civil servants have been appointed in the past year despite Sir Keir's pledge to fight the 'flabby' state.
The Cabinet Office, headed by Pat McFadden, a key proponent of slimming down the Civil Service, announced in April that 2,100 of its jobs would be cut or moved to other parts of the Government in the next two years.
But in 2024 the department hired an additional 760 civil servants, more than a third of the number of roles they have said they will cut in the next 24 months.
