UK ministers consider abolishing hundreds of quangos, sources say

Pat McFadden has written to every Whitehall department asking them to justify each quango or risk them being closed, merged, or having powers brought back into the department. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

Ministers could introduce legislation to abolish a swathe of quangos in one go as part of the UK government’s plans to restructure the state and cut thousands more civil service job cuts, the Guardian understands.

Government sources said they were considering a bill that would speed up the reorganisation of more than 300 arm’s-length organisations that between them spend about £353bn of public money.