Brexit could lead to a huge reduction in Whitehall's civil service according to Jacob Rees Mogg who believes leaving the EU should prompt a cull in the government workforce.
The Tory Minister for Brexit Opportunities believes 45,000 jobs could axed in a post-Brexit down-sizing of the state.
The former leader of the Commons has been given the dual responsibility for the domestic elements of Brexit alongside the civil service reform programme in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s mini-reshuffle..
In an interview with The Times Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested he would like to reduce the current 470,000 full-time workforce down to 425,000 and streamline the way the civil service works to get more value for money,
Government statistics reveal the Department for Work and Pensions DWP has increased by 8,120 staff in the last couple years whilst Health and Social Care has increased by 3,140 employees and the Cabinet Office by 3,230 staff - a 53% increase
He said: “Every person working for the civil service has to be paid for by taxpayers,”
"So you’ve got to think, ‘Is this providing value? Is it doing something that needs to be done? Is it doing it in the most efficient way?
“What we should be saying to ourselves every day is, are we making the lives of the British people better? And do we make them better by employing large numbers of civil servants?
"The answer is probably no, because the British public helps pay for them. And so you’ve got to get it under control. And yes, there have been exceptional reasons why you’ve needed more in the last couple of years. But those reasons are coming to an end.”
“We are in a situation of record payroll employment, so people who are in the civil service may find that there are options in the private sector that they would prefer.
"Now, I’m sure it’s difficult for individuals, but statistically we probably are in a position of economic strength sufficient to absorb changes.”
“You want to be very focused on what your objective is. And what you want to find out is, is the quango doing something that anybody needs to do. Is it really necessary? If not . . . why is it there?”
He claims Whitehall and its arm’s-length organisations employs 7,200 communications officers and owned £500bn of property.
He added: "So does Whitehall need reform — the answer is yes,”
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