They say a week is a long time in politics, well it was certainly a busy one in TPA towers.
Our campaign to ditch diversity demagogues received a huge boost when ‘minister for common sense’, Esther McVey, pledged to scrap dedicated equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles across Whitehall.
After years of campaigning, this was music to our ears. Having been asleep at the wheel, ministers seem to have finally woken up to the problem. Paying credit where it’s due, TPA researcher, Callum McGoldrick, told Talk listeners: “They’re tackling Whitehall which is the biggest blob and the hardest to overcome for a government. It’ll see these roles put into actual HR and admin jobs which will hopefully mean they have something to do.”
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Following up on LBC, Joanna Marchong, our investigations campaign manager, explained: “These people that already exist in the civil service - and there’s a lot of them - these people will still be employed but this won’t be their sole responsibility.”
We know that this isn’t solely a Whitehall problem. Over the years, our investigations, research, and campaigning has exposed huge levels of spending on EDI roles and the wider diversity industry. In an op-ed for Spiked, our head of campaigns, Elliot Keck, rightly pointed out: “This culture has spread well beyond Westminster. Woke ideology is deeply entrenched in quangos, councils, NHS trusts, fire services and police forces.” Have a read here.
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In a blog post, I’ve brought together just some of the examples of waste we’ve uncovered, including the millions doled out to Stonewall and the £200,000 for rainbow crossings. Check it out here. And just days after the government’s announcement, a TPA investigation revealed that quangos had given £652,000 to EDI staff networks between 2019-2023. Much more to do, clearly.
With legislation mandating some responsibilities when it comes to diversity and inclusion, these jobs sadly won’t be simply disappearing overnight. That being said, until the legislation is changed, they ought to simply be rolled into existing HR functions. There’s no need to have dedicated grievance mongers in every department.
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I suspect there will be very few of you out there who haven’t had to endure calling HMRC at one point or another. And I suspect you’ve all got your horror stories to go with them. In case you were in any doubt, you’re not alone. A new report from the National Audit Office revealed that in 2023-24, taxpayers spent 798 years on hold to the taxman, more than double what it was in 2019-20. Staff at HMRC also answered 22 per cent fewer calls.
Responding to the damning findings, our chief executive, John O’Connell, blasted: “This scathing report from the NAO will come as no surprise to taxpayers who have tried and tried again to contact HMRC. While civil servants work from home, targets are being missed, standards are falling, and complaints are rising. All the while Brits are spending years waiting on hold.” John’s comments were a hit with the media, even getting reported in the Guardian and the Independent.
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Naturally, the broadcasters wanted a slice of the action. Callum stepped up to the plate when he joined Nigel Farage live in the GB News studio. Callum explained to Nigel: “If that wait time was all one person, it means Ghengis Khan would have only just got through… People want to talk to a person. It’s the most complex tax code in the world, people need to speak to someone that understands it in order to pay their taxes on time and pay the right amount.”
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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Cost of the Covid Inquiry
In an update to our briefing from December, new TPA research has revealed that the Covid Inquiry is set to be the most expensive since the Inquiries Act came into force in 2005. Taxpayers are on the hook for a projected £196 million or, put another way, £136,907 per day! Check out the briefing in full here.
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Speaking to the Times, John called out these monumental sums: “There’s little sign that we will be left with much more than an eye-watering bill when it finally comes to an end. The Covid inquiry should be short, sharp and decisive, not an expensive political pantomime.” Hear, hear!
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BBC concerts for crooks
Regular readers will know that we’re not keen on Auntie wasting licence fee payers’ cash but this one’s really Bach-ing mad. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, which costs £6 million a year, laid on a concert for inmates of HMP Low Moss.
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Joanna pulled no punches telling the Scottish Mail on Sunday: “Licence fee payers will be outraged at these concerts for criminals. With the BBC prioritising Beethoven behind bars, it’s no surprise people are opting out of paying the hated TV tax.”
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How does the State spend £100 of your money?
In this week’s blog, our researcher, Shimeon Lee, has taken a look at just how ministers spend every £100 of your taxes. With public spending having rocketed in recent years, Shimeon brings us an easy to digest breakdown of where your money’s going.
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Cutting to the heart of the matter, Shimeon writes: “Spending across the public sector has clearly risen from 2010-11 to 2022-23, in most cases above the rate of inflation. With this being said, the bigger question is whether the increased spending has correlated with an increase in the quality of public services. If you have been following our work, you’ll know the answer…”
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A TPA investigation this week exposed high-flying officials in the Department for Business and Trade had racked up over £80,000 in business class travel and accommodation costs between September and December last year.
As Joanna said: “ Taxpayers will want these business class bureaucrats to be brought back down to earth.”
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Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager
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