Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey were out last week vowing the RAF would “police the skies” as Labour promise to ramp up defence spending amid the Ukraine crisis. While Starmer’s busy playing the statesman, UK DOGE has been digging into ways the government could slash spending to free up cash for defence…
The Ministry of Defence is hiring a ‘Head of People Development & Culture’ for its Defence Infrastructure Organisation – offering a tidy £70,540 annual salary, plus a cushy £20,435 pension contribution. The DIO proudly boasts of its “diverse workforce, inclusive culture, and commitment to opportunity, offering six identity-based networks (Disability, Faith & Belief, Gender Equality, LGBTQI+, Race, and Social Mobility), plus three extra wellbeing groups for “Speak Safe Volunteers, Mental Health First Aiders, and EDI Advisers.” The lucky hire will be tasked with “championing and overseeing EDI strategy delivery plans”, “fostering inclusivity”, promoting diversity, and ensuring civil servants feel “valued“. For that you could:
The taxpayer may have a view on which should be prioritised. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”