LONDON: The Prime Minister has given the green light for Labour to hold talks with top Civil Service officials in the clearest sign yet that an election is looming.The main opposition party is traditionally given time before a polling date to speak with senior Civil servants to discuss the policy changes planned if they win power.Boris Johnson has recently told Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to “name the date” for an election in a bid for him to secure a majority in the House of Commons. The decision to allow shadow ministers access to the Civil Service — a right usually reserved solely for the government — indicates that the wheels are being oiled for a fresh trip to the polls.A Labour spokesman said the party would use the talks with Whitehall mandarins to “prepare for a transformational” government. Corbyn has denied he wants to block a general election but said it was not safe for MPs to approve one until no-deal had been taken “off the table”.He told supporters in Northampton on Thursday that he feared the Prime Minister could “use” an election campaign to push through a no-deal Brexit. In a message to the Conservative Party leader, he said: “We can’t trust you not to use the period of an election campaign to drive our country off a no-deal cliff edge that will crash our economy, destroy jobs and industries, cause shortages of medicine and food, and endanger peace in Northern Ireland.“It’s simple — obey the law, take no-deal off the table and then let’s have the election.” He branded Johnson’s decision to hold a Queen’s Speech before an election a “cynical stunt”.A Queen’s Speech is usually held after an election, with the newly elected government laying out its plans for the coming 12 months. Corbyn used his speech to provide details of his “alternative” to the Tory proposals.Responding to Labour being granted access to the Civil Service, a party spokesman said: “Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow cabinet are looking forward to using these access talks to prepare for a transformational Labour government that will bring key utilities into public ownership, boost people’s pay and tackle the climate emergency.”The time offered for talks has varied from anywhere between two and 16 months, according to a briefing from the Institute of government. The institute said Gordon Brown authorised contact between David Cameron’s Tory Party and the Civil Service “a full 15 months in advance of the 2010 election”.In 2017, the talks were initiated on the day Theresa May announced the snap election, giving the Labour Party just 51 days in which to put its ideas across. In an article, senior fellow at the institute Catherine Haddon said the top bosses of departments were advised to never give advice about policies during the meetings but instead use the discussions as an opportunity to gauge the scale of the reforms planned by the opposition.“Access talks with the Civil Service can be invaluable in helping a new government to prepare in advance of and during a general election campaign,” she said.“They also allow the Civil Service to anticipate the level of transformation and upheaval which will accompany changes in government — both in terms of policy delivery and in changes of personnel. “They can also be the first opportunity for potential new secretaries of state to get to know the permanent secretary of the department they lead.”
10-11-2019, 12:18 PM
Labour given go-ahead for Civil Service talks
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