UK DOGE’s The Waste Files has been hard at work crunching the numbers on how much taxpayers are forking out for language and translation services across the public sector to accommodate those in the UK who don’t actually speak English. Since 2020, the government has splashed out a staggering £403 million on contracts for these services. Mon Dieu…
These contracts cover a range of costly translation services, including:
Over the past five years, more than 300 contracts have been awarded across the public sector, including by the Ministry of Justice, Home Office, police forces, and local councils. A hefty £78.9 million of that total went to the NHS alone—averaging £15.8 million a year. For that, you could:
Perhaps the government hasn’t discovered Google Translate yet. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
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…”