Civil service appointments watchdog to audit Labour-era hires

Labour-era hires to the senior civil service will be probed, the Whitehall appointments watchdog has said.

Kate Owen, the Civil Service Commission interim chief executive, wrote to human resources directors across Government on Friday to request information about appointments “by exception” to the ordinary recruitment principles.

Ms Owen said the data would “inform a short, independent review” of new recruits.

The move followed an alleged cronyism row in Westminster , which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pushed back on earlier this week and claimed was about having “the right people in the right places”.

According to media reports, recent appointments to the senior civil service include Jess Sargeant, who previously worked for the Labour Together think tank before she took a role in the Cabinet Office, and Emily Middleton, a consultant who was named a director general in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and appears to have worked close to Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle in the months before the election.

Ian Corfield, who has donated more than £20,000 to Labour politicians in the last decade, was made a temporary director of investment at the Treasury but it has since emerged he would work as an unpaid adviser rather than a salaried civil servant.

Ms Owen has asked HR directors to provide her with information about all appointments made during July and August which did not need oversight from her Commission, ahead of a “short report”.

She also wrote to heads of departments in a separate letter which read: “Given interest in a number of recent civil service appointments by exception and the importance of public trust in these appointments, the Commission has decided to undertake a short review of appointments by exception at delegated grades since July 1 2024 and the departmental processes in place to make such appointments under the recruitment principles.”

Ms Owen began her correspondence with a reference to the law on civil service appointments, in particular that recruitment “takes place ‘on merit on the basis of fair and open competition'”.

There are some exceptions to the rule, according to the Civil Service Commission.

I am absolutely determined to restore honesty and integrity to Government, because I think that is core to ensuring that people appreciate that politics can be a force for good

These include temporary appointments, secondments from outside the civil service of up to two years, and “highly specialist skills”.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “All civil service appointments must follow the correct rules and processes. The Civil Service Commission is independent of Government and is able to conduct regular reviews of recruitment processes, in line with their powers as set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

“We will fully support the Commission with their review.”

Sir Keir has faced questions about alleged cronyism after Lord Alli was given a pass to Number 10 Downing Street, despite not having a formal job there.

He said on Tuesday: “Look, if you take Lord Alli, he’s a long-term donor and contributor to the Labour Party.

“He was doing some transition work with us, he had a pass for a short-term time to do that work, and the work finished, and he hasn’t got a pass. That’s the state of affairs.”

The Prime Minister added: “I am absolutely determined to restore honesty and integrity to Government, because I think that is core to ensuring that people appreciate that politics can be a force for good.”