Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Civil service concern

By Amit Roy

SIR SUMA CHAKRABARTI knows a great deal about how the civil services works.


He was the permanent secretary at the Depart­ment for International Development (DfID) from 2002-2007 and at the Ministry of Justice from 2007-2012, before serving two terms as president of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) from July 2012 to July 2020.

Last week, he told the GG2 Di­versity Conference that Asian and black people were no longer in the pipeline for top jobs in the civil service as had once been the case. He had gone out of his way to encourage likely candi­dates to be ambitious.

It must be a matter of con­cern that he said when it comes to diversity, “the cab­inet is doing a better job than the civil service”.

I am not taking sides, but could this be one rea­son that the home secre­tary Priti Patel has faced so much resistance from senior white civil servants?

By the time he left the EBRD, revealed Sir Suma, the once old-fashioned bank looked very different from the organisation he had joined.

More For You

Comment: To lead on immigration, Starmer must speak with his own conviction

Starmer polarised opinion within his own party by using language that is not his own

Getty Images

Comment: To lead on immigration, Starmer must speak with his own conviction

So who was prime minister Sir Keir Starmer trying to sound like on immigration? Not Enoch Powell, surely, though independent former Labour MP Zarah Sultana alleged the ‘rivers of blood’ speech was quoted with intent. Downing Street scrambled to declare any faint echo unintentional. Briefing that Starmer was really summoning the spirit of Roy Jenkins instead - since Labour's most liberal multiculturalist home secretary did not want unlimited immigration - did not reflect his tone.

The prime minister’s language was deliberately tough - much tougher than the white paper he was recommending. Its principles - controlling migration, to bring the record numbers down, while welcoming contributors, managing impacts and promoting cohesion - could resonate across a Labour electoral coalition which includes migration sceptics, liberals and many ‘balancers’ in between.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ajay Devgn

Raid 2

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

RUBBISH RAID - Raid 2

Earlier this year, I wrote about how Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn have collectively damaged Bollywood by flooding audiences with a stream of largely terrible films – most of which flop. That trend continued with Devgn’s sequel Raid 2, which underperformed at the box office. Now, Akshay Kumar looks set to carry the baton on 6 June with the dreadful-looking Housefull 5 – a mindless franchise film packed with a cast well past their prime.

Ajay Devgn


Keep ReadingShow less
Paresh Rawal's Take on Urine Therapy: Healing or Hype?

Paresh Rawal made a murky admission that left fans speechless

Getty

Paresh Rawal drinks urine and calls it healing

Some celebrity confessions make you love them more. Others make you reconsider watching their films during dinner. The latter was the case recently when veteran actor Paresh Rawal made a murky admission that left fans speechless.

Known for his impeccable comic timing and thunderous screen presence, the much-respected star undid decades of admiration by revealing that he willingly drank his own urine for a prolonged period – and is proud of it.

Keep ReadingShow less
From 100 to 0: Why Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s failure might be his fortune

Vaibhav Suryavanshi

From 100 to 0: Why Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s failure might be his fortune

THE best thing that happened to Vaibhav Suryavanshi is that he was out for 0 in the innings that followed his sensational 35-ball century in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Batting for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans last week, the 14-year-old took down some of the world’s best bowlers in a 38-ball innings that included 11 sixes and seven fours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Immigration white paper: ‘Control’ is not only about lower numbers

Illegal migrants are brought into Dover port on board a Border Force vessel on May 12, 2025 in Dover, England

Getty Images

Immigration white paper: ‘Control’ is not only about lower numbers

The title, “Restoring Control of the Immigration System”, makes 'control' the core message of the immigration white paper. “Take Back Control” was the opening riff of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s launch speech, contrasting the slogan that won the Brexit referendum with the soaring immigration that followed. Home secretary Yvette Cooper alliterates control, contribution and cohesion as her key principles.Control means different things to different people. Key questions remain about how this white paper will apply it in principle and practice.

Does control primarily mean choosing or reducing immigration? If we select the immigration that reflects Britain’s interests – and, hopefully, our values too – how far is the key test how low the numbers go?

Keep ReadingShow less