The cost of trade union facility time is up 25% in the Home Office under Labour, according to quietly released government figures. That’s paid time off granted to trade union representatives in the department to carry out their union duties. Just as 898 small boat migrants crossed the Channel yesterday…
In the year 2023-24, 331 full-time equivalent Home Office civil servants were given time off to do union work, costing the taxpayer £1,134,980. In 2024-25, that number surged to 387 pen-pushers, costing the taxpayer £1,424,127. Enough to hire 47 new police officers…
A total of 301 union reps spent 1-50% of their working hours on their union duties. Shadow Minister for Crime, Policing, and Fire Matt Vickers told Guido:
“While frontline policing is stretched to breaking point, Labour are handing even more taxpayer cash to union reps to clock in and plot their next strike. Union facility time is up 25% in the Home Office – that’s money that could have paid for nearly 50 more coppers. They could even spend it on border officers or deporting foreign criminals, but Labour would rather choose the clipboard brigade over public safety.”
Is it any wonder Channel crossings are by more than 50% on last year?
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”