Civil servants who do not want to work with a Reform Government after the next election should find another job, the leader of one of the top public sector unions has said.
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the First Division Association, which represents top officials, said that civil servants would have to work with Nigel Farage’s Reform MPs if the party wins power.
Reform UK’s policy chief Danny Kruger just days ago set out wide-ranging reforms to Whitehall if his party were to win power.
This week, Mr Farage predicted he would become Prime Minister, with his party 10 points ahead in the polls.
Mr Penman told Chopper’s Political Podcast that Whitehall must work to deliver Reform’s programme of government if elected.
He said: “If a civil servant doesn’t like that, it’s uncomfortable with it.
“Which they are entitled to do, then they have to leave the civil service.
“That’s how it is.”
Mr Penman also expressed some concern about having “politically appointed civil servants”.
He said: “I would absolutely think about that because what the Civil Service does, and does well, is it gives ministers the best evidence-based advice.
“It’s under the Civil Service Code that their job is to give them impartial evidence-based advice.
“And the ministers make choices about that. When they appoint people who simply politically agree with them, they’re not going to get that sort of challenge.
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“And that’s the sort of challenge that ministers need.
“At the end of the day, ministers are accountable for policy so they can ignore that and say ‘that’s all very interesting, this is what I want you to do and do that’.
“And that happens all the time.
“But that impartial evidence-based advice from people who are employed because of what they know rather than what they believe, I think it makes for better Government.”
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