Civil service chief ‘warns Boris Johnson against forcing government workers back to office’

Prime minister backs Jacob Rees-Mogg despite criticism of minister’s ‘Dickensian’ tactics to repopulate Whitehall

Boris Johnson has backed Jacob Rees Mogg’s ‘crass’ efforts to repopulate Whitehall (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

The head of the civil service is reported to have privately warned Boris Johnson against forcing government officials to stop working from home, amid anger at ministers’ rhetoric over post-Covid office arrangements in Whitehall.

It emerged over the weekend that Jacob Rees-Mogg, who in addition to his role overseeing “Brexit opportunities” is also in charge of “government efficiency”, had been leaving notes on civil servants’ empty desks, telling them he looked “forward to seeing you in the office very soon”.

In addition to the notes, which he left after writing to fellow ministers demanding they send “a clear message” to civil servants in their departments “to ensure a rapid return to the office”, Mr Rees Mogg has also published a league table showing the number of officials at their desks on an average day.

Against this backdrop, the UK’s top civil servant, cabinet secretary Simon Case, warned the prime minister this weekend that the language being employed against civil servants was going too far – and that Mr Rees-Mogg’s strategy was unwise, according to The Guardian.

But just hours after details of the apparent warning emerged, Downing Street declared that Mr Rees-Mogg’s approach was one backed by the prime minister – and by Mr Case himself.

“What the minister is seeking to achieve is to do everything possible to get the civil service to return to the pre-pandemic level,” Mr Johnson's official spokesperson told reporters at a Westminster briefing.

“That is what he is seeking to do. That is supported by the cabinet secretary and obviously the prime minister.”

Asked whether Mr Rees Mogg’s notes – branded “crass” and “condescending” by unions – were helpful, the spokesman said Mr Johnson “supports any initiative that encourages people to return to pre-pandemic working”.

But, according to The Guardian, Mr Case has been joined by at least four permanent secretaries – the most senior civil servant in each government department – in raising concerns over the rhetoric employed by ministers in their bid to repopulate Whitehall.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Rees-Mogg claimed that officials could lose the London weighting on their pay or see their jobs moved elsewhere if they were not at their desks, saying: “Essentially, if people are not back in their office it will be fair to assume that the job does not need to be in London.”

Unions have warned that the crusade is damaging civil service morale, with FDA general secretary Dave Penman cautioning that “good people will leave and the civil service brand is trashed in a highly competitive employment market”.

The matter also appears to have caused disagreement within the Cabinet. According to The Times Nadine Dorries said there was “a whiff of something Dickensian about” Mr Rees-Mogg’s letter to government departments.

“Why are we measuring bodies behind desks? Why aren't we measuring productivity?” Ms Dorries reportedly told Mr Rees-Mogg, who last week presented figures to Cabinet showing that some government departments were using as little as 25 per cent of office capacity in early April.

The figure for Ms Dorries’ Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was 43 per cent. A government source described the dispute between the two as “good natured”.

Another minister was quoted by The Guardian as saying that they were on “Team Nadine”, adding: “Who dreams this crap up? If the civil service aren’t working properly, reform them. Don’t wander round placing the physical equivalent of eye rolls on their desks.”

Meanwhile, some officials have reportedly been told they can go into the office on a limited number of days either because there are no free desks or their building has been sold.

Approached by The Independent, a government spokesperson said: “We want to see office attendance across the civil service consistently back at normal, pre-pandemic levels.

“There is total agreement across government on there being clear benefits from face-to-face, collaborative working and we know that this is particularly important for the learning and development of new members of staff.

“The Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency has written to departments to underline the importance of workplace attendance and request that they review their existing guidance on the minimum number of days staff work in the office.”

A search on the civil service job website on Monday night yielded nearly 1,600 results including “flexible working” arrangements.

Additional reporting by PA