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…
It was only a matter of time. The new Online Safety Act has blocked some humorous Labour content…
Co-conspirators can scroll down a few Guido stories and see a fetching image of Keir Starmer’s face on a baby with the strapline: “KEIR SUFFERS EXTINCTION EVENT.” A simple enough play on there being no new babies called Keir last year…
Unfortunately the post has been twice hidden from X with the now-dreaded message:
This is known as ‘overcompliance’ with onerous legislation. Guido recommends everyone in the UK downloads a VPN…
Nine out of ten nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the Royal College of Nursing union have rejected the government’s pay award offer of 3.6%. The union said:
“Ministers must use the summer to reach agreement on investment in the nursing workforce or face formal escalation to a dispute and an industrial action ballot.”
Wes Streeting went to Oasis last night with his fiance. Hope he isn’t nursing too much of a hangover…
The Home Office has confirmed that 898 migrants arrived to the UK on small boats yesterday. Largest figure in the last seven days…
The chief executive of the London Stock Exchange has criticised Labour proposals to force pension funds to invest in UK. Reeves has been sneaking reserve powers into her pension reforms to do just that…
David Schwimmer said in the LSEG’s earnings report today:
“We are not pushing for mandation. It’s very important to take a look at the fact that the pension funds get about £49bn a year in tax incentives.”
He added making tax breaks conditional on UK investments “would seem to be very, very reasonable.” Any cack-handed intervention – including tax tweaks – usually backfires pretty quickly…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
