Parents' jobs to determine who gets civil service internships
The government will tighten eligibility criteria for Whitehall internships as part of a broader push to make the civil service more representative of the working class.
The main Whitehall internship scheme will be limited to students from "lower socio-economic backgrounds" and based on which occupations their parents held when they were 14.
Pat McFadden, the minister responsible for civil service reform, said Whitehall needed to reflect the country as a whole.
"We need to get more working-class young people into the Civil Service so it harnesses the broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country," he told the BBC.
"The government makes better decisions when it represents and understands the people we serve."
The changes will take effect from summer 2026 and will give young people experience writing briefings, planning events, conducting policy research and shadowing civil servants, according to the broadcaster.
The existing work summer placement programme, which lasts up to eight weeks and is paid, is open to undergraduates in the final two years of their degree.
The move comes after the government announced plans to move thousands more civil servants out of London as part of plans to "radically reform the state".
In May, the government confirmed it would cut the number of civil servants working in London by 12,000 and shift jobs to a series of new regional "campuses" across the country.
Mr McFadden said at the time that the government would be relocating a "substantial number of roles".
"The aim is to reduce the London count by about 12,000. That will save us £94m in lease costs because the properties in London are very expensive.
"And we will move thousands - it's difficult to put a precise number - thousands of those jobs to new themed campuses around the country," he told Times Radio.
The changes will also see 11 government office buildings in London close, including one of its largest Westminster sites, in a move expected to save £94m a year by 2032.
The move will see two new major "campuses" created, one in Manchester focused on digital innovation and AI and another in Aberdeen on energy.
Manchester is already home to major offices of the science and culture departments, while Aberdeen houses the new Great British Energy headquarters.
Other roles will be created in Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York, with the changes expected to bring £729 million to the local economy by 2030.
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Her motion referenced a 2017 Shelter report which found developers 'inflate their bids for land', pushing up the total bill for a building. That means profit margins take a hit in viability assessments so they don't hit the 20 per cent threshold and don't build affordable units, the report said. 'Developers know that they can use the loophole, and so factor it into their bids for new sites,' author Rose Grayston concluded. 'In fact, they must: if one developer does not plan to use the loophole, they risk being outbid for land by another one who does. This pushes the price of land up, making development more expensive.' Coun Northwood's motion was amended by governing Labour councillors, who point out most affordable housing is actually funded by a completely different scheme. Last year, 3,864 new homes were built in Manchester, with around 3,300 available on the open market, and 511 affordable (13 per cent of the total). 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All 24 homes are affordable, as are all Project 500 homes — 90 per cent will also be available at social rent. Grants also help the authority's own development company, called This City, which recently finished No. 1 Ancoats Green, a 129-apartment and townhouse development where 30 per cent are available at 'Manchester Living Rent', set at the level of the local housing allowance. Another city centre project from housing association Great Places will create 89 affordable flats on Laystall Street in the Northern Quarter in spring 2026 — again made possible by grant funding. The council has other levers to help get affordable homes to Mancs. A fifth of the massive, 850-home development planned for Mayfield will be affordable, partly due to the fact the town hall is a member of the 'partnership' overseeing the redevelopment of the area into a new neighbourhood. 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