Liam Fox throws the book at civil servants

Although Theresa May is adamant that she will trigger Article 50 come what March, today’s Times splash suggests otherwise. A ‘leaked’ memo from Deloitte to the paper claims that the government is behind schedule with Brexit preparations and is heavily short-staffed — requiring another 30,000 civil servants in order to get the job done.

So, what are the current batch of civil servants getting up to? Well, over in the Department for International Trade, Mr S understands that reading is high on the agenda. Word reaches Steerpike that Liam Fox has instructed his civil servants to read Rising Tides: Facing the Challenges of a New Era — a book that aims to explain ‘how to meet the challenge of the new global reality’. And which bright spark is the author of the tome? A man by the name of… Liam Fox. Well, that’s one way to increase book sales.

Mr S has contacted the Department for International Trade for comment.