‘Makes your blood boil!’ Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce FURIOUS over ‘outrageous’ Civil Service spending

GB News host Bev Turner has slammed civil service spending as something that “makes your blood boil” after the Government announced a freeze on nearly all 20,000 procurement cards used by officials.

The cards, which racked up a staggering £675 million bill in the past year, are being suspended this week as part of a major crackdown on wasteful expenditure.

The cards were originally intended as a quick way for civil servants to pay for low-value goods and services.

Instead, they have become a source of significant Government expenditure that ministers are now determined to rein in.

Bev Turner said: “This story is going to make your blood boil.”

She added: “Well done to the Labour Government for looking into this. But you’re not scot-free here.

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“Let me give you a few examples. In October 2023, £2,493 was spent at a fashionable shoe shop in Barbados.

“Why do civil servants need to spend £2,500 there, working on behalf of the Government and the taxpayer, on shoes in Barbados? Who signed that off? Who signed it off? I don’t understand.

“On January 3rd, 2023, again under the Tories, £673 was spent, which isn’t a large figure, but it is money that you and I have given them.

“If you’re struggling to pay your energy bill, guess what? They spent that money on a website that sells life-sized cardboard cutouts of Harry Styles and the Spice Girls. Ridiculous.”

Andrew Pierce added: “And then there was the money spent in a retro computer shop, £814. and that money was spent by the Prison and Probation Service.

“A shop that sells retro computers, and we’re spending nearly £1,000 on one? That was basically on computer games. I didn’t know the Prison and Probation Service was involved in that. So what’s that for? Is it to keep the prison warders entertained?

“But here’s the funny thing: doing the media round today is Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister. He’s been in charge of a lot of the spending, and he’s rightly suspended the 20,000 cards.

“But since he’s been in the Cabinet, his department has spent £1,820 nearly £2,000 on a learn about the value of money course.

“I’m sorry, why did they need to spend £2,000 on that? What’s the value in spending nearly £2,000? We’re laughing, but it’s not funny, is it? It’s an outrage.”

The Foreign Office even has a specific category for “alcoholic drinks” in bars and nightclubs.

Under the new controls, the maximum spend on hospitality will be slashed from £2,500 to £500.

Any purchases above this limit will require approval from a senior civil servant at director general level.

Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the cards should only be provided to officials when it is “absolutely essential”.