Mutinous mandarins

IT’s a troubling indictment of today’s civil service that officials seem unwilling to heed the orders of the elected government.

Their supposed core value is impartiality. Yet Left-wing bureaucrats appear to be determined to thwart the Tory agenda.

If Mr Johnson is genuinely horrified by the passport, driving licence and probate backlogs that are stopping millions from going about their lives, it is easily solved.

he could insist the well-paid but rebellious penpushers put down the chocolate hobnobs, switch off Netflix and return to their desks – or pick up their P45.

Meanwhile, it’s laudable the Government is thinking creatively about ways to reduce living costs for struggling families.

But with the Treasury trousering record amounts of cash from households, hasn’t Cabinet minister Kit Malthouse got the right answer: Cut taxes.