Fury over home working as fewer than half of Foreign Office staff were at HQ when Sudan fighting erupted
FEWER than half the Foreign Office’s staff were at their HQ when fighting erupted in Sudan — sparking fresh uproar over their home working.
The first UK evacuation flights began today in a bid to get 2,000 Brits out of the country to safety.
Statistics show more than 60 per cent of mandarins and diplomats’ desks were empty in the week leading up to the crisis.
Tory MPs today demanded that Civil Service office-dodging is “curbed and curbed quickly”.
Fighting started in the north east African country on April 15 and has since exploded into a violent power struggle between the nation’s army and paramilitary troops.
Foreign Office HQ on King Charles Street was the fourth emptiest in all Whitehall between April 10 and 17.
By contrast, the Ministry of Defence scored 70 per cent attendance and the Health Department 68 per cent.
Figures have been published by the Government since Boris Johnson ordered civil servants back to their desks.
But mandarins are still regularly working from home, with many jobs being offered as flexible roles.
In the same week, the Welsh Office had just 27 per cent of desks occupied, followed by the Environment Department at 37 per cent and the Education Department at 38 per cent.
Ex-Cabinet Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, who spearheaded the work-from-home crackdown in government last night told mandarins to get back to their desks.
He told the Sun: “When the lives of our fellow Britons are at risk it is not unreasonable to expect the Foreign Office officials to get into work. Unfortunately, the pampered panjandrums prefer to idle away their hours at home.”
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said: “This just goes to show the danger of having so many of our civil servants working from home.
“In high-pressure situations you need to be there in person so ministers – and in this case military personnel – can make quick decisions that might save British lives.
“This civil servant working from home culture must be curbed and curbed quickly.”
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance added: “Civil servants have been caught napping yet again. Taxpayers are right to ask whether the work from home culture is to blame.
“Whitehall mandarins should swiftly review working practices.”
Tonight, a spokesman said: “Hundreds of Foreign Office officials are working around the clock in our crisis centre, alongside colleagues across government, to coordinate our response to the complex and challenging situation in Sudan.
“Their work has helped to launch a rapid evacuation of British nationals and we are doing all we can to get them to safety.”