Blundering mandarins forget £3.6 billion

Oh dear. It seems that Sir Humphrey has messed up again. Perusing parliament’s records this morning, Mr S was struck by a written ministerial statement put down by Kemi Badenoch’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The nearly-created ministry came to life back in February, when the old Department for International Trade (DIT) was combined with Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The merger went off without a hitch at the time but it appears that no-one remembered to check the books. Among DBT’s responsibilities is guaranteeing Covid loan guarantees. But according to its statement today:

Following routine review, it has been noted that at the Department for Business and Trade’s Main Estimate for 2023-24 Government officials did not include the cash required to meet payments for these pre-existing and budgeted arrangements. Parliamentary approval for additional cash of £3,659,625,000 will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the Department for Business and Trade.