Jacob Rees-Mogg is at the centre of a Cabinet row over his drive to get civil servants back at their desks.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries accused Mr Rees-Mogg, the minister responsible for government efficiency, of a “Dickensian” approach to the issue. Mr Rees-Mogg has written to Cabinet ministers calling on them to issue a clear message to staff about a “rapid return to the office” and has been leaving notes in empty Whitehall workspaces with the message: “I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.”
The Times reported that Ms Dorries’ response was highly critical of Mr Rees-Mogg’s approach. Mr Rees-Mogg presented figures to Cabinet last week showing that some government departments were using as little as 25% of office capacity in early April – the figure for Ms Dorries’ Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was 43%.
