The rapid flow of the civil service will be shut down for at least a year after Boris Johnson pushed through the change, despite the disapproval of some of his cabinet ministers.
The scheme, designed to make the country’s smartest graduates work for the government, will not work in 2023 as part of efforts to shrink the civil service by a fifth.
The decision was signed at a cabinet meeting on May 19, chaired by Stephen Barkley, Mr Johnson’s chief of staff.
The minutes of the meeting, which expired in The Telegraph, read: “The President confirmed that the Prime Minister has decided to stop the rapid flow for at least a year.
Last year, about 60,000 people applied and more than 1,000 job offers were made as part of the scheme, which is seen as a fast track to senior positions in the civil service.
Most of the permanent secretaries in charge of government services came in through the rapid flow.
The closure may take longer than planned
The scheme includes applications for the Foreign Office’s diplomatic service.
The reference in the minutes to the pause with a duration of “at least” a year opens the possibility for the rapid closure of the flow to last longer than currently planned.
When the prime minister first proposed the move during a cabinet visit to Stoke earlier this month, when he announced layoffs of 91,000 civil servants, there was some backlash around the table.
Michael Gove, the secretary of the community, is believed to have criticized the idea during the ensuing debate.
He led the civil service reform until last September, when he was transferred as part of the change.
It was also understood that there was concern in the departments of the Ministry of Finance, with senior figures insisting that their own alumni scheme remain intact.
Civil servants in government departments, whose staff are particularly committed to implementing front-line policy, are also believed to have expressed particular concerns about the change.
But Mr Johnson and Mr Barkley, who remains Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as well as working in the Prime Minister’s Office, have pushed through the reform.
Opportunity for ministers to make the scheme “more efficient”
A government source familiar with the debate, who supports the move, said: “The prime minister and the cabinet have agreed to freeze hiring across Whitehall to reduce the size of the civil service and government spending on the British people.
“A temporary pause in rapid recruitment will mark significant progress in efforts to return civil servants to their 2016 levels and give ministers the opportunity to make the scheme even more effective in the future.”
The decision has been taken internally and is expected to be announced in the coming months.
The current successful candidates for the rapid flow, which are due to start work this autumn, will not be affected by the relocation and it should start in the autumn of 2023.
The rapid flow of the civil service consists of 15 individual schemes. Some are for specific types of work or roles, others are broad and can be applied to different government positions.
These include the “diplomatic service” – a point of entry for potential ambassadors – as well as groups such as “project implementation”, “trade”, “social research” and “common people”.
University graduates with a grade of 2: 2 or higher can apply. Successful candidates often take short-term roles in various departments, preparing them for senior positions.
Mr Johnson wants to cut the civil service by about a fifth, returning to its pre-Brexit vote.
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