Boris Johnson information newest: PM to chop round 90,000 civil service jobs to ease value of residing disaster

In case you have been questioning – this isn’t some kind of unofficial Jacob-Rees Mogg day.

Labour would not seem to have put any shadow ministers up for interview this morning, that means the cupboard minister has been free to replenish the airwaves.

Talking to BBC Radio 4 At the moment earlier, he warned his boss Boris Johnson in opposition to tax cuts or additional spending to ease the price of residing squeeze.

He says such strikes may worsen the UK’s spiralling inflation downside.

Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick has the story:

The cupboard minister has additionally been speaking to broadcasters in regards to the ongoing row with the EU over Brexit’s Northern Eire protocol.

He claims the bloc is refusing to budge on customs checks as a result of it’s making an attempt to punish the UK for leaving the union.

Talking to GB Information, he mentioned: “I feel it (the EU) needs to make the UK really feel unhealthy about having left the European Union and that underpins its complete coverage and it would not actually thoughts in regards to the penalties of that.

“And we simply need to get on with life and recognise that we’ve left. Now we have to make our personal method. We’re an unbiased nation, and what the EU needs and thinks is secondary.

“The Paymaster Basic, Michael Ellis, has made a speech in Brussels right now, making it very clear that we’re, if not on the finish of the highway, very near it.

“To cancel the TCA (EU-UK Commerce and Co-operation Settlement), the European Union would want unanimity, and it appears to me that is a reasonably excessive bar to get.

“And it’s important to say to the European Union, does it actually need to punish its shoppers at a time of rising inflation? And inflation in quite a lot of the EU international locations is greater than it’s within the UK.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg is out on the printed spherical this morning defending the federal government’s plan to slash 90,000 civil service jobs.

The cupboard minister additionally took questions on the Partygate scandal, claiming it’s a non-story – after the Met Police introduced that fifty extra fines have been issued for Covid law-breaking in Whitehall and Downing Road.

Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick has extra particulars beneath:

The overall secretary of a union representing civil servants says authorities plans to slash 90,000 jobs is unrealistic.

Dave Penman, normal secretary of the FDA union, instructed BBC Radio 4’s At the moment Programme: “Since then we have had Brexit and we have had a pandemic, and the rise in staffing has been undeniably associated to these two occasions, so except we’re undoing Brexit and might undo the pandemic it is unclear what precisely the federal government means by this.

“The federal government can resolve what measurement it needs for the civil service however it additionally has to say what they are going to cease doing if they are going to have cuts of this kind of magnitude.”

He added: “In 2016, the civil service was at its lowest level for the reason that Second World Battle.

“It had already delivered enormous numbers of efficiencies at that time, so the concept you might be simply going to squeeze these sorts of financial savings once more is simply unrealistic.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed “wouldn’t have mentioned” the remarks made by Tory MP Lee Anderson, who urged folks use meals banks as a result of they “can’t prepare dinner correctly”.

“Any person in my place can’t presumably say issues like that, I can’t prepare dinner myself and it wouldn’t be proper for me to lecture folks on the best way to stay their lives,” he instructed Sky Information.

“I feel human nature is about empathising with individuals who stay completely different lives from oneself.”

Pressed on whether or not he disagreed with the feedback, Mr Rees-Mogg mentioned: “I’d not have mentioned it.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted that regardless of his “lucky” private circumstances he was capable of empathise along with his constituents over the hovering value of residing he mentioned was affecting them “very considerably”.

“My private circumstances are very lucky and I feel my lecturing folks by myself circumstances isn’t related, not useful. However I do attempt to assist constituents who get in contact with me… and assist my constituents who’re struggling.”

Mr Rees-Mogg went on to assert he may “genuinely empathise” with folks in poverty given his private wealth.

“You’ll perceive that individuals do generally take a look at you, the three-piece fits, the affectations, the nanny, the Westminster townhouse, the manor home within the countryside, the private wealth, you’re operating maybe into triple determine tens of millions,” Sky Information presenter Niall Paterson mentioned.

“That’s merely not true,” Mr Rees-Mogg interjected, earlier than including it was a “particularly reasonable query” to ask whether or not he may perceive the struggles of lower-income constituents.

“As a constituency MP you could have folks come to see you most weeks to debate how they’re residing their lives and you’ll have to be essentially the most stone-hearted individual not to have the ability to emphasise when folks come to speak to you about how they’re residing.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed the variety of fines for the No 10 events hitting the 100 mark as “a non-story”, claiming folks not care about it.

“There are different issues occurring which might be extra essential,” the Cupboard Workplace minister mentioned.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended proposed cuts to the civil service by saying that additional employees have been introduced in to assist cope with the pandemic and the “aftermath of Brexit”.

The federal government effectivity minister instructed Sky Information the reductions would see workforces return to 2016 numbers.

“I do know it sounds eye-catching however it’s simply getting again to the civil service we had in 2016… since then we’ve needed to tackle folks for particular duties. So coping with the aftermath of Brexit and coping with Covid, so there’s been a motive for that enhance, however we’re now making an attempt to get again to regular,” he mentioned.

The minister for Brexit alternatives and authorities effectivity has rejected that studies the PM is about to chop the civil service by a fifth marks a “return to austerity.”

Talking to Sky Information, the Jacob Rees-Mogg mentioned he had seen “duplication” inside authorities departments and the axing will imply individuals are getting used “as effectively as potential”.

“What I’ve seen inside the Cupboard Workplace, which is the place I work and keep in mind every secretary of state can be accountable for is or her personal division, is that there’s duplication inside authorities, so you could have a communications division after which you could have inside one other division some folks doing communications.

“So it’s making an attempt to make sure that you employ the sources that you simply’ve bought moderately than duplicating it little by little.”

Requested why the cuts weren’t being described as a return to austerity, he mentioned: “I don’t assume it’s as a result of what’s being executed is getting again to the effectivity ranges we had in 2016.”

The newest official figures – for March – have been Leonard Cohen album-level grim, writes James Moore, our chief enterprise commentator.

They confirmed a 0.1 per cent contraction in opposition to the flat zero the Metropolis had anticipated. There may be most likely worse to come back. This financial frost goes to chew onerous.