Johnson Wants Civil Servants Axed to Free Up Cash for Tax Cuts

Premier orders ministers to slash civil service by a fifth
Around 90,000 jobs could go, new technology brought in

Boris Johnson, center, chairs a Cabinet meeting in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, on May 12.Photographer: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

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By Emily Ashton

May 13, 2022 at 6:58 AM UTC

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Boris Johnson has ordered his government to slash the UK civil service by around a fifth -- cutting around 90,000 jobs -- to free up billions of pounds for possible tax cuts.

The prime minister told his ministers at a cabinet meeting on Thursday that the civil service needs to get back to its 2016 headcount, a person familiar with the matter said.