Rachel Reeves to order civil service to cut £2bn from budget

Departments will reportedly receive instructions in a letter from chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden in the coming week - (Alamy/PA)

The civil service will be told to slash more than £2 billion a year from its budget by the end of the decade as part of the government’s spending review.

The Cabinet Office will tell departments to cut their administrative budgets by 15 per cent, which is expected to save £2.2 billion a year by 2029-30.