It doesn’t look like Labour’s high-minded attitude to cronyism and chumocracy will stop blowing up in its face anytime soon. Despite Starmer launching a leak inquiry into the briefings against Sue Gray…

Guido can now reveal that the government is pushing through dozens of ‘exceptions,’ which allow it to circumvent usual impartiality rules in making civil service appointments. From 5^th July 2024 to 19^th August 2024, the Civil Service Commission approved a total of 70 exceptional appointments. That includes 16 senior-level positions for directors…

37 ‘temporary appointments’ were pushed through in Labour’s short initial period, alongside 20 secondments from outside the civil service. DSIT leads the pack with a whopping 12 exceptions alone, including an appointment to the highest pay band from £127,000 to £208,100. This is the system that allowed Labour Together Starmtrooper Jess Sargeant to be appointed as a Deputy Director in the all-knowing Propriety and Constitution Group…

The Commission says it is “keen to reduce” the number of civil service exceptions it makes while it launches a “rapid review” into Labour’s crony appointments. Government of Self-Service latest…

Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, has now decided to carry out a review of appointments made by the “Exceptions” process which allows the government to circumvent usual impartiality rules in making civil service appointments. Stuart cites “interest in a number of recent Civil Service appointments by Exception and the importance of public trust in these appointments” as her reason for launching the review…

Departments have been told to produce two things:

1. Details of appointments made by Exception between the period of 1 July and 31 August (inclusive) which did not require the approval of the CSC.
2. A summary of processes in place within your organisation to approve Exception requests made by vacancy holders in line with the expectations set out by the Recruitment Principles.

Departments have until Friday next week to return details to the Commission for review. More samples will then be collected and a final set of recommendations issued. Maybe Jess Sargeant wants to look into it?

UPDATE: John Glen MP, Shadow Paymaster General, said:

“I welcome that the Commission has backed our calls for a review into Labour’s crony appointments. As the first step, we need full transparency from the Government on every “exceptional” appointment they have made since the general election. Keir Starmer can no longer try to brush this under the carpet.”