Simon Case, the head of the civil service, has reaffirmed the government's claim of a £22bn shortfall left by the previous Conservative administration, attributing it to their failure in maintaining regular spending reviews.
In the leaked letter to Jeremy Hunt, Case emphasized that the financial discrepancies arose due to a rushed parliamentary timetable and that all civil service accounting officers acted correctly based on the assurances from ministers.
Case criticized the previous government for its lack of a new spending review, which he believes would have allowed for a transparent identification and management of fiscal pressures arising since the 2021 budget.
Hunt has countered the government’s claims by suggesting that the letter raises more questions than it answers, stating that if civil servants knowingly provided false estimates, it would constitute a breach of the civil service code.
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