Government payroll surges to record 4.04 million on NHS and civil service hiring spree

The number of people working on the government payroll has hit a record high of 4.04 million, official figures reveal today.

The Office for National Statistics said employment in central Government rose by 21,000, or 0.5% in the the months to June. That is 95,000, or 2.4% more than in June last year just before Labour was elected.