The Civil Service spent more than £27million on equality, diversity and inclusion staff and projects in a single year, a damning audit has revealed.
The review revealed that British taxpayers were funding 380 full-time DEI staff across Government departments and quangos, commanding a collective salary bill of £20million.
These equality officers earn average salaries of £53,000 each for the task of ensuring diversity is spread throughout the Civil Service.
The £27million total also includes costs for away days and membership fees to various equalities organisations.
British taxpayers were funding 380 full-time DEI staff across Government departments and quangos
GETTYThe internal Cabinet Office report uncovered an extensive network of 570 diversity groups with 2,965 committee members, costing taxpayers £534,000 in 2022/23.
Additionally, the Civil Service spent £800,000 on "external benchmarking" and membership of organisations including LGBT charity Stonewall.
The research, commissioned by the Tories, highlighted how this £27million expenditure could alternatively fund winter fuel payments for 135,000 pensioners or employ more than 1,000 nurses.
The spending revelations emerge as the Government plans to cull approximately 50,000 Civil Service positions by 2030 in a bid to slash spending.
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The spending revelations emerge as Keir Starmer plans to cull approximately 50,000 Civil Service positions by 2030
PACurrent Civil Service employment stands at around 515,000 full-time equivalent posts - a significant increase from approximately 380,000 in June 2016.
One official briefed on negotiations over Rachel Reeves's looming spending review told the Financial Times: "I wouldn't be surprised if the number comes down to 450,000 by 2030."
A report by think tank Policy Exchange, backed by a former senior civil servant, proposes cutting 80,000 Civil Service jobs to achieve £5billion worth of annual savings.
The document recommends a 60 per cent reduction in communications roles, a 50 per cent cut in HR positions and removing "excessive layers of management".
One official familiar with Rachel Reeves's spending review said they 'wouldn't be surprised if the number comes down to 450,000 by 2030'
PAFormer Home Office and Cabinet Office director Stephen Webb, the report's author, said: "Ministers have recognised early on the problems in the system, and have set out plans to make reductions of £1.5billion by the end of the Parliament.
"They can go further than this and faster.
"We believe £5billion reductions in one to two years is deliverable."
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