Some 52 former ministers applied to take jobs outside Westminster in 2016/17, up nearly 60% from 33 the previous year, the Acoba watchdog revealed.
George Osborne’s new jobs included as Editor of the Evening Standard (Image: AFP)
The number of ex-ministers and civil servants waltzing into the private sector has soared in the past year, new figures reveal.
Some 52 former ministers applied to take jobs outside Westminster in 2016/17, up nearly 60% from 33 the previous year.
And 55 former civil servants took outside jobs in the same period, up from 36 and 41 in the previous two years.
Although the number of people applying rose, the total number of applications per minister fell slightly, meaning there were fewer per person.
The figures were revealed today by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) – designed to police the ‘revolving door’ from Whitehall to the private sector.
The watchdog, which cost £281,000 to run last year, has been branded “futile” after its chair admitted she had “zilch” powers to stop ex-ministers flouting the rules.
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