Push for civil servants to return to office backfires as DfE runs out of desks

The DfE has twice as many staff as desks, as even before the pandemic about 60-70% of staff had worked flexibly. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Downing Street’s demands that civil servants get back to the office has backfired for the Department for Education, where desk shortages have resulted in staff being sent home and others forced to work in “chaotic” conditions.

Officials working in cramped corridors or sharing desks have led to protests from civil service unions to Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, who last month ordered an end to homeworking after pressure from the efficiency minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg.