Fresh figures from the Home Office’s accounts show it spaffed £1.3 million on software licences it did not even use. The report explains:
“A fruitless payment of £1.3 million due to the purchase of software licences which were later deemed unsuitable and non-cancellable””
For that you could:
As Guido revealed earlier, hundreds of civil servants in the Home Office are spending their working hours carrying out union duties, costing £1.4 million – up by 25% since Cooper took office. The taxpayer may have a view on Cooper should be spending that taxpayer cash on. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
UPDATE: Shadow Minister for Crime, Policing, and Fire tells Guido:
“Frontline services are crying out for support, yet Labour’s Home Office chucking £1.3 million on software it couldn’t use and couldn’t cancel. This money could have paid for average annual salary of 43 new police officers to keep our streets safe. If they can’t even manage a licence agreement, how can anyone trust them to run a department, let alone protect Britain’s borders?”
Guido is providing an up-to-date list of Tory-to-Reform defections so far. Drip drip…
UPDATE: Andrew Rosindell has become the 28th newsworthy defector. Farage says May 7 is the deadline for any Tories to jump ship. Looming…
Guido will update the list if and when there are more defections. Click here to access the full spreadsheet…
Despite Labour’s moralistic hand-wringing over the Afghan Relocation Route super-injunction it is not keen on revealing any more information on the draconian measure. Who would have thought…
Under the last government Tory minister Lord Bellamy responded to a parliamentary question in April:
“There is currently one super-injunction in force which was made in the Kings Bench Division of the High Court.”
We now know that was the Afghan one. When the same question was asked of Labour in a parliamentary question from Lord Kempsell there is only word salad in response. Here’s the MoJ’s response:
“The Government does not routinely publish or hold centralised data on the number of super-injunctions currently in force, due to the sensitive and often confidential nature of such orders. Where such orders are made, they are typically issued by the High Court under strict judicial oversight and may include provisions that prevent disclosure of their very existence.”
Lord Hermer also said when asked what the government’s position on super-injunctions was.
“The filing of an application for a super-injunction on behalf of His Majesty’s Government is recognised as a truly exceptional measure and would be justified only by the most compelling evidence.”
That is a change of line from the MoJ on the previous, more transparent response. Labour should be more open if it is serious about its opposition to super-injunctions…
As part of Guido’s Asylum Freebiegate series it can be revealed that Belfast City Council is offering free access to jacuzzis, saunas and other sports activities – only to asylum seekers. Through a ‘Better Health Centre’ membership, you get access to:
For local working residents, a Better Health Centre monthly membership fee is £30.35. If you are disabled, on benefits or a veteran, you still pay £23.45 a month. Shockingly, the free membership only applies to asylum seekers, not refugees – meaning that only those in the process of seeking refugee status can get the freebies, not those who have actually been legally given the status. There will be others…
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?
Starmer said in his televised speech on 29 July:
“Meanwhile, our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged and unequivocal. They must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza. We will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps.”
That has now changed. He said today the release of hostages is a “long standing demand, and we are working with others to do everything we can to get those hostages released… We are going to have to assess, in September, all of the factors in relation to recognition, but this is effectively a pathway to recognition.” Jonathan Reynolds was more stark on the BBC:
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation and we don’t put conditions on them because we don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
That is a complete U-turn and also nonsensical because the UK regularly makes demands of Hamas. Falling apart…
Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree MP backing Andy Burnham, told Times Radio there wouldn’t be trouble from the markets under Burnham:
“The markets will have to fall in line.”