As hard as it is to describe the frenzy that gripped Whitehall on Wednesday evening, as officials and ministers began to realise the potential economic pain that could be inflicted on their departments in just a few days’ time, it has not stopped some involved from trying. “A mess,” was the verdict of one Labour figure. Another opted for “chaos”. A third was more brutal still: “Carnage.”
For a few incendiary hours that night, angry and disbelieving messages flew around Westminster as ministerial teams reacted to demands meted out by the Treasury – namely, to find significant savings in their departments by the end of the day. The wails led to direct appeals to Keir Starmer, which were soon rebuffed.
