AI should replace some work of civil servants, Starmer to announce
AI should replace the work of government officials where it can be done to the same standard, under new rules that have prompted unions to warn Keir Starmer to stop blaming problems on civil servants.As part of his plans for reshaping the state, the prime minister will on Thursday outline how a digital revolution will bring billions of pounds in savings to the government.Officials will be told to abide by a mantra that says: “No person’s substantive time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do it better, quicker and to the same high quality and standard.”In his speech, Starmer will claim that more than £45bn can be saved by greater use of digital methods in Whitehall, even before AI is deployed, with 2,000 new tech apprentices to be recruited to the civil service.However, with bruising cuts on the way at this spring’s spending review, Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union for senior civil servants, said: “Mantras that look like they’ve been written by ChatGPT are fine for setting out a mission, but spending rounds are about reality.
”He said civil servants will welcome the commitment of more support with digital transformation, but the government “needs to set out, in detail, how more can be delivered with less”.Starmer’s rhetoric about reshaping the state has alarmed some trade unions who fear for civil service jobs and are also concerned about morale among officials, after years of being demonised as unproductive by the Tories.Penman said it was “right that the prime minister sets out an ambitious agenda for transforming public services with digital and AI tools, but … many civil servants will be looking for the substance and feeling that, once again, the prime minister is using the language of blame rather than transformation”.Mike Clancy, the general secretary of Prospect union, said: “Civil servants are not hostile to reforms, but these must be undertaken in partnership with staff and unions.I urge everyone in government to avoid the incendiary rhetoric and tactics we are seeing in the United States, and to be clear that reforms are about enhancing not undermining the civil service.
”Clancy said it was right to make better use of tech in the public security but added that the government will find it challenging to compete for the skills needed to deliver on this agenda under the current pay regime, which is why Prospect is campaigning for more pay flexibility to recruit and retain specialists in the civil service in areas like science and data.“Government should also be doing more to utilise the talented specialists it already has at its disposal, many of whom are working in regulators and other agencies that have been starved of funding in recent years.”In Starmer’s speech, he will also pledge to reduce regulation and cut some quangos, taking on the “cottage industry of checkers and blockers slowing down delivery for working people”.The government will have a new target of reducing the cost of regulation by 25%.Starmer will give a diagnosis of the problem in the UK that the state has become “bigger, but weaker” and is not delivering on its core purpose.
“The need for greater urgency now could not be any clearer,We must move further and faster on security and renewal,” he will say,“Every pound spent, every regulation, every decision must deliver for working people …“If we push forward with the digitisation of government services,There are up to £45bn worth of savings and productivity benefits, ready to be realised,”In the US, Donald Trump has embarked on a radical programme of sacking government workers under the new department of government efficiency (Doge), advised by the billionaire businessman Elon Musk.
Starmer’s government is understood to want also to scale back the size of the state, reducing the number of civil servants by substantially more than 10,000,Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, on Sunday said the government is prepared to bring in tougher performance management requirements in a bid to shed underperforming officials, and put more emphasis on performance-related pay,The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that No 10 and the Treasury are taking a close interest in proposals drawn up by Labour Together, a thinktank with close links to the government, to reshape the state under plans dubbed “project chainsaw”,The project’s nickname is a reference to Elon Musk’s stunt wielding a chainsaw to symbolise controversial government cuts for Donald Trump’s administration,Starmer’s press spokesperson said on Wednesday that No 10 rejects the “juvenile characterisation” of their reshaping plans as slashing the state.
“There’s no approach here where we’re taking a chainsaw to the system,” she said.
Ham, mozzarella and … orange?! Australia invents a new topping to enrage the pizza purists
Remember when a few chunks of pineapple were enough to cause outrage? This latest offering puts even chicken tikka masala or pumpkin and hummus pizza in the shadeName: Orange pizza.Age: First mentions come in 314BC and AD997 respectively. The combination, however, is a product of our own dark age.Appearance: There’s no getting round this – it’s an orange pizza.All pizzas are sort of orange, aren’t they? By which I mean, a pizza with oranges on it
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for miso mushroom noodles with pak choi and chilli | Quick and easy
This dish is absolutely lovely with flat, knife-cut noodles, which you can buy from my favourite website, Sous Chef. However, for a 10-minute weeknight meal, where the sauce cooks in the time it takes to cook your carb, I suggest that you use tagliatelle instead. When cooked al dente, it has that chewy texture that works beautifully with the garlic, ginger and chilli-spiked miso sauce, and with the slight crunch of the pak choi. It’s a lovely spin on a quick stir-fry.Prep 10 min Cook 10 min Serves 2180g dried tagliatelle3 tbsp sesame oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated2 red chillies, 1 finely chopped, 1 finely sliced250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced2 large pak choi, cut lengthways into eighths40g red or white miso paste1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar2 tsp white sesame seeds 2 tsp black sesame seedsCook the tagliatelle in a pan of boiling water (I wouldn’t salt it, because the dressing is salty enough) for nine minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for flatbreads stuffed with spinach and cheese | A kitchen in Rome
This week’s recipe involves making a dough of flour (any flour), water, olive oil, thick plain yoghurt and salt, and it requires no rising agent and no resting. Thanks to the olive oil and yoghurt, it is a dough that comes together easily and behaves in a way that reminds me of warm putty, coming away from the sides of the bowl, hardly sticking to the hands and almost bringing itself into a neat ball. Unlike so many things at the moment, it is a helpful, thoughtful and stretchy dough that can be rolled or pulled into sort-of circles that can accommodate just about any filling, although mine is inspired by the cheese and greens mixture that filled the Azerbaijani qu’tab my colleagues Alice and Deruba made me a few weeks ago.The best way to eat these flatbreads is, I think, two minutes and 23 seconds after they come out of the hot pan, so they have cooled just enough to handle and so that the puff of hot air that accompanies the first bite is funny rather than scalding; but they need to be still warm enough that the pastry is fried and the filling tender with melted cheese. While they want for nothing, these friendly, crowdpleasing flatbreads are great with a spoonful of mango chutney, preserved lemon or green bean pickle, or with seasoned yoghurt and a salad (of grated carrot and shredded green cabbage, maybe)
Joe Trivelli’s recipes for cod and leeks, roasted Jerusalem artichokes and a pear and honey dessert
Salt cod and sweet pears are just the thing to stir happy memoriesI have history with salt cod. Some years ago, we were on our way from the south of Italy, where my father is from, to Tuscany, where my parents now live. We had a new baby and a car suspension compromised by a boot packed with wheels of cheese and salami. We took a break on the outskirts of a town not far from Naples, where we planned to order a quick primi and be on our way.The pastas came and went, and then more cutlery arrived for one member of our party – my father, unable to resist salt cod, sat bashfully awaiting a sneakily ordered secondi for at least another hour
How tasting notes play conjuring tricks with our expectations
From ‘massive fruitiness’ to a ‘touch of spice’, what do wine tasting notes really tell us about the glass we are about to drink?The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Remy Farbras Ventoux, Rhône, France 2022 (£7.99 down from £9
Sharmilee, Leicester: ‘It really is worth your time’ – restaurant review
Our hugely influential restaurant critic, leaving the Observer after 26 years, finishes up with an Indian feastSharmilee, 71-73 Belgrave Road, Leicester LE4 6AS, (0116 266 8471). Starters £4.25- £5.95, mains £6.95-£12
Ex-Barclays boss Jes Staley admits having sex with member of Jeffrey Epstein staff
Trump tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminium come into effect globally as Europe says it will retaliate – as it happened
Donald Trump’s tariffs are disrupting markets around the world – here’s why it could be hurting your super
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Top City watchdogs drop new diversity and inclusion rules for firms
Her grandpa brewed beer in his cellar in Iran. Last month she canned 30,000 brews that taste like home