Brexit sparks Government jobs bonanza as up to 8,000 new civil service posts created
2 min read
Up to 8,000 new Whitehall jobs are being created so the civil service can cope with Brexit, it has emerged.
David Davis told the Cabinet that a "huge cross-government effort" was underway to prepare the UK for quitting the European Union.
Nearly 3,000 new posts have already been created - including jobs for 300 lawyers to comb over the legal ramifications of leaving the bloc.
In addition, the Brexit Secretary said that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs are set to recruit between 3,000 and 5,000 new members of staff next year.
If the new recruits earn an average of £50,000 each, the wage bill would top £400 million.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: "We will make sure that we have the resources required to make a success of leaving the European Union."
The new figures emerged as Mr Davis updated the Cabinet on the preparations being made for Brexit.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said there had been a "significant acceleration in recent months" in the work taking place to prepare for any eventuality - including a "no deal" Brexit.
Around 300 separate work programmes are taking place across Whitehall, under the auspices of the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Cabinet Office.
"The plans set out detailed delivery timelines including, for example, to recruit and train new staff; to design and procure IT systems; and to deliver the necessary legislative and regulatory changes," the spokesman said.
A total of £500 billion was also being made available by the Treasury to pay for the Brexit preparations, the spokesman said.
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