HMRC have hit a record-breaking low, with sackings for gross misconduct now at a five-year high, as 179 tax office drones have been booted so far this year alone. A whopping 43% surge since 2020…
Gross misconduct includes bullying, intoxication, theft and gross negligence. One such model employee ended up behind bars earlier this year after abusing her position to scam £300,000 in child benefit. HMRC staff haven’t had the best track record, with 840,000 callers to the bureaucratic overlords ignored in January. Meanwhile the new-age “flexible working” has seen the pen-pushers concentrating on gaming on their PlayStations and “gardening” rather than deal with the taxpayers who keep them employed. Now it seems even the ones who make it into the office can’t seem to get the job done…
Crime and Policing Minister Diana Johnson had the arduous task of defending Labour’s decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance this morning, especially after Labour research claimed it could endanger 3,850 lives back in 2017. It didn’t go too well for the minister…
When pushed by BBC presenter Mishal Husain on whether the government was looking at “a social tariff” for energy bills or “restricting the winter fuel allowance to people in households in council tax Bands A to D,” Johnson folded, telling the Today Programme:
“I am sure that across government, all these measures are being looked at… I am absolutely confident that this is being looked at.”
Now, Number 10 is frantically deploying damage control, insisting that Johnson “misspoke” when she suggested that the Treasury is looking into ways to soften the impact. Meanwhile, Starmer is facing a rebellion tomorrow as MPs vote on the measure. Losing grip fast…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”
