Reeves’ £1.2bn consultancy savings plan in doubt, watchdog warns Prof Services Despite Rachel Reeves’ focus on cutting government spending on external consultancy services, a damning report stated that the government is unable to set meaningful targets to reduce its reliance on external firms. The UK government has said it wants to put an immediate stop to all non-essential consultancy spending and halve consultancy spending in future [...]
Scathing report blames MoJ for wasting public funds and failing justice system A new scathing Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) revealed that a cyberattack last year at the Legal Aid Agency gave hackers access to sensitive providers’ and data for four months. There was a cyberattack on the Legal Aid Agency last year that took the services offline for some time [...]
Asylum seekers’ cost to taxpayer is unknown, public auditor says Politics The full cost of asylum to the British taxpayer is unknown as the government has not processed data on how much local authorities spend on migrants, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. In a broad report mapping out asylum seekers’ journeys through the UK’s legal systems and support structures, public auditors found that there [...]
Ofwat to be replaced with ‘new regulator’ amid Thames Water crisis July 18, 2025 Ofwat, the water watchdog, is expected to be abolished and replaced by a new body next week after facing intense scrutiny over sewage firms and the poor performance of major companies including Thames Water, according to reports. A consultation on the creation of a new regulator is expected to be announced next week after results [...]
Regulators ‘appear unable’ to stop water firms acting unlawfully, MPs warn July 18, 2025 A group of influential MPs have called for a “low risk, low return” water sector and urged the government to strengthen regulatory powers amid scrutiny over excessive dividends and murky company structures. In a wide-reaching report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned that the “financial fragility” of a few large utilities had caused investors to [...]
Government has ‘lost track’ of illegal migrants working in the UK, MPs warn July 4, 2025 The UK government has lost track of the number of migrants who have overstayed visas and what happens to people who have had their sponsorship withdrawn, senior MPs have warned in a devastating blow to Labour’s bid to restore credibility with voters on migration. Keir Starmer’s government pledged to restore control over UK borders and [...]
Absence of defence spending plan ‘entirely unsatisfactory’ June 20, 2025 The government has been “entirely unsatisfactory” in failing to assess whether their defence spending plans are affordable, a group of senior MPs has said, in a damning assessment of ministers’ transparency. The row comes amid concerns spending on the nuclear deterrent would be higher than first assumed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government would [...]
Council finances in dire straits, MPs say June 18, 2025 Councils could run out of money in 2026 due to unsustainable book balancing methods, according to parliamentarians. The hike in national insurance contributions (NIC), combined with spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), has squeezed local council finances, a new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found. Despite Reform’s DOGE campaign, they [...]
‘I tried to warn them, but no one listened’ – one man’s crusade against HS2 June 12, 2025 “History will not be kind to those who, if it is pursued, push through this silly scheme.” It is not far off a decade since Lord Framlingham decided to take drastic action against HS2, the deeply troubled high-speed rail project connecting London and Birmingham. The former commons deputy speaker staged a last-ditch attempt to kill [...]
Sellafield: MPs warn of ‘sub-optimal’ culture at UK’s most hazardous nuclear site June 4, 2025 MPs have warned of a “sub-optimal” culture at the UK’s most hazardous waste site following whistleblower allegations. Sellafield in Cumbria is managed by the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority (NDA) and is responsible for around 85 per cent of the UK’s nuclear waste. It has faced criticism for presiding over safety issues, cost overruns and whistleblower allegations [...]