A public sector recruiter has rejected claims by former trade minister Lord Digby Jones that the UK only requires half of its civil servants.

Following comments made by Lord Jones that he was amazed how many civil servants deserved the sack, Nick Chenery, managing director
at public sector staffing firm Papillon Group, told Recruiter that Jones’ comments were at odds with a January recruitment drive he had noted within the sector.

Chenery said: “We have had our busiest January to date. Lord Digby Jones’ proposal that further cuts are needed, with 80,000 having already been made across the civil service, would only serve to add to the burden of an already delicate welfare state — and the UK economy.”