Unlock Editor’s Digest Lock for Free
FT editor Roula Khalaf will select your favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The government sector, accused of attracting inward investments in the UK and promoting UK exports, is facing significant employment cuts as part of future spending reviews, Whitehall Insider warns It’s there.
The proposed staff cuts will occur despite repeated pledges by the Prime Minister and Prime Ministers that will attract more investors to the UK and drive economic growth.
One with debate knowledge warns that under the proposal to merge two units involved in promoting the UK as an investment destination, Business and Trade staff warn about a “30-40%” cutback He said that it was being done.
The second said there is a “brutal haircut” plan to export the promotional team in a “zero-based” spending review.
The Bureau of Business and Trade said it “didn’t recognize” the 30-40% cut estimate, adding that no final decisions have been made on personnel.
However, authorities accepted that the reviews concluded in the spring are imposing tough decisions on all Whitehall departments.
A third party familiar with the process said the union raised concerns about the restructuring. The Public and Commercial Services Coalition, which represents more than 190,000 civil servants, declined to comment.
The authorities have been able to offer introverted investment talent thanks to the merger of the joint Treasury, No. 10, a business division organization, with DBT’s much larger Bureau of Introverted Investment Promotion. He said that reductions are being made.
Ir Kiel’s Starge promised to “strengthen” and “renew” OFI in October last year reservation of Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity company Darktrace as investment minister.
One person familiar with restructuring plans to turn OFI, which the minister previously acted like a small team of inter-departmental “fixers” into a major institution to promote investment. He said.
The proposal follows recommendations by his Richard Harrington Lord 2023 Review In the UK’s investment environment, OFI said “we need to provide stronger support from the central government” as part of its new business investment strategy.
Its strengthened roles include strengthening links with local mayors. Use the combined authority to help you create locally based investment proposals to attract investors.
Tom Pope, assistant chief economist at the government’s think tank laboratory, said there is a strong economic logic behind the greater use of mayoral unified authorities to attract FDI.
However, he added that there is currently a “capacity gap” between MCAS staff and expertise, which will bring ambition.

However, the two insiders said that despite their enhanced roles, merging OFI with the business Investment Director still results in net reductions in staff.
“It is said to mean that capacity will be reduced overall and there will be no expansion in personnel or services,” said the director of the UK Regional Trade Promotion Agency.
According to one explanation of the internal discussion, the change to the Investment Bureau was announced earlier this month with a “All Hands” call to staff on a “All Hands” call.
Jordan Cummins, head of CBI’s UK Competitiveness Division, said the challenge was to cut staff within the sector while strengthening OFI and was expected as part of a review of spending.
“Deck chair shuffle as part of the spending review is just step one. Step two makes this new institution more sensitive to investors, useful for the mayor and transparent to the business. It is It starts with the investment minister setting a vision of what she wants to achieve,” they added.
UK trade performance has been weaker since BREXIT compared to other G7 countries, with UK trade currently weighing less than 3.5% of GDP share, with goods exports falling by 20% over the same period. National statistics.
The UK Chamber of Commerce said it aims to deepen partnerships with the business sector to improve export and trade promotions. the study Showing government support for trade has made businesses more likely to survive by exporting the recession.
William Bain, BCC’s head of trade policy, said the group is worried about cuts to export promotional activities. “This is when you want to increase growth and consider turning back recent trade losses, or make targeted investments to promote exports,” he added.
The business sector said increased trade and investment will play a key role in providing the government’s economic growth mission, and the sector will continue to support UK businesses and attract investment.
“We will establish a new, more streamlined, skilled investment promotion agency to better serve key investors and ensure the investments needed to promote employment and growth in the economy. ” he added.