Overview

• Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to ax roughly one in ten Whitehall posts, aiming to reduce the headcount from about 515,000 full-time equivalents to near 450,000 by the end of the decade.
• The civil service expanded by some 135,000 posts since 2016 under Brexit and pandemic demands, prompting calls for a return to pre-Covid staffing levels.
• Reeves has set a target to cut annual running costs by 15%, pressing departments to deliver savings in advance of the next election.
• Plans include selling 11 central London offices and moving officials to 13 regional centres to lower high capital-area salary bills.
• Government analysis finds nearly two thirds of junior administrative tasks can be automated with AI, underpinning projected efficiency gains.