A senior civil servant was paid for multiple full-time jobs they held in different government departments at the same time, The i Paper can reveal.
A Cabinet Office document detailing fraud in the public sector disclosed the official had held three jobs simultaneously on two separate occasions between 2022 and 2024.
The damning report blamed working from home culture in the civil service for a rise in so-called ‘polygamous working’. Freedom of information data released last year showed many government departments were still seeing employees attend their desk less than two days a week on average.
It will increase pressure on the Government over its commitment to tackling the performance of the civil service, which Keir Starmer described as “overcautious and flabby” as he pledged major reform on Thursday.
The National Fraud Initiative (NFI) report stated that the individual worked in “full time roles” for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), as well as in two other civil service jobs.
The civil servant held a total of four roles while unwitting bosses did not realise he was simultaneously employed elsewhere, with the report stating: “Following an investigation it was found out that this person held three roles in three government departments during two separate time frames.”
The report did not identify how much they were paid or what their specific job was, but stated: “After concluding the investigation, this individual was dismissed from DEFRA and the two other current CS employers with immediate effect. He had already resigned from DHSC.”
Caption: The civil servant held full time jobs Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health and Social CareThe individual was later charged after the fraud investigation was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. Court proceedings against the individual are understood to be ongoing.
Shadow paymaster general Richard Holden described the case as a “troubling revelation” and called for tighter monitoring of how civil servants are employed.
He said: “When in government the Conservatives commissioned, and backed, the Boardman report, with a number of recommendations for proper monitoring of the civil service, including second jobs and outside roles.”
Holden added: “Unfortunately Labour has not deemed fit to continue implementing these important reforms.”
The Government said it had “stepped up” efforts to tackle public sector fraud since coming into office last year.
The NFI said the increase in civil service employees working from home since the Covid pandemic had increased the risk of fraud from so-called ‘polygamous working’.
The report states: “This was highlighted as an emerging risk area following changes to working practices since COVID-19, where many organisations now allow staff work remotely or on a hybrid basis as normal operating procedures.”
The issue of civil servants working from home became contentious during the last parliament, with then cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg criticising remote workers and leaving notes on empty desks in 2022, saying: “I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.”
Data released to the Daily Mail under freedom of information laws in August last year showed DEFRA and DHSC employees worked an average of less than two days a week in the office, with attendance rates of 35 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.
The Cabinet Office refused to provide further details of the civil servant’s employment, although the report suggests the individual worked in a sensitive role as they had passed counter-terrorism and security vetting.
It stated the person had “held two different vetting clearances (CTC and SC) concurrently with different departments, unbeknown to the vetting team or departments”.
According to the report, the senior official withheld his civil service employment history during the job application process which allowed them to secure multiple government jobs during overlapping time periods.
The incident comes amid a crackdown on government waste ahead of Rachel Reeves’ spending review later this month, where a number of cost-cutting measures are expected to be announced.
Cabinet Ministers have pushed for efficiency drives in their departments, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper launching a “DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] unit” in the style of Elon Musk’s cost cutting venture across the Atlantic.
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Callum McGoldrick of the TaxPayers’ Alliance described the incident as ‘gobsmacking’ and accused civil service bosses of negligence in allowing it to go undetected.
He said: “Taxpayers will be absolutely gobsmacked that a civil servant managed to wing their way through multiple full-time jobs at taxpayers’ expense. This isn’t just a case of bureaucratic bungling, it’s outright negligence.
“If one individual can do this, there is clearly a lack of scrutiny and expectation of performance in the civil service.
“The Government must tighten up hiring processes, introduce proper performance monitoring, and root out waste in Whitehall.”
The Cabinet Office also discovered a similar case of dual employment at Barnsley Council where a man was simultaneously employed on two 37 hour per week contracts over a period of 10 months.
He was taken to court and pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud that cost taxpayers almost £17,000. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
Overall, £67.4m of fraud was detected by the Government’s National Fraud Initiative (NFI) between 2022 and 2024.
A government spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on specific cases, this government has stepped up its efforts to fight public sector fraud.”
A spokesperson from DEFRA said: “We concluded that by taking part in the NFI [National Fraud Initiative], DEFRA was able to find and stop this simultaneous employment.”
Councillor Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services at Barnsley Council, said: “As a local authority we take any fraudulent behaviour incredibly seriously and responded robustly, as shown in the report.”
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