Whitehall woke row erupts as £1.7m of taxpayers' money spent on diversity networking

Many of the grounds act as forums for minority groups to discuss experiences of working in Whitehall.

However, others were founded to support civil servants with serious health conditions, such as cancer and disabilities.

A staggering 548 groups were created and 2,853 civil servants joined their ranks, Cabinet Office sources have told The Daily Mail.

Some departments allow staff to devote as much as 50 per cent of their working week to running them.

Groups set up include the Civil Service Network, the Humanists in Government and a transgender group which likened women’s rights campaigners to the Ku Klux Klan.

The Intellectual Property Office also held a talk on “intellectual property and queer theory”, while the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) hosted an “insight into afro-textured hair”.

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A Civil Service Muslim Network was suspended earlier this year amid allegations it had hosted events where speakers called for officials to lobby for changes to Government policy on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking to plug a £22billion black hole in public finances, axing winter fuel payments to curb expenditure.

Despite less than rosey finances, the Labour Government is hinting at above-inflation pay rises for those in the public sector.

Shadow Cabinet Office Minister John Glen voiced his concern about the diversity schemes.

Glen, who worked on the diversity review while in Government, said: “Spending so much time and money on these networks is an enormous waste.

“There is nothing wrong with doing this in their spare time, but they should not be doing this in working hours. Rather than putting up your taxes, Labour should be cracking down on woke waste like this.”

Ex-Common Sense Minister Esther McVey added: “It is outrageous that taxpayers are footing the bill for these staff networks, which take civil servants away from doing the job they are paid to do.

“When I was in the Cabinet Office, I made clear that I had no problem with these staff networks providing they took place outside of working hours and at no cost to the taxpayer.”

However, a Government spokesperson said: “Our focus is delivering the change that people expect. We will support the Civil Service with the tools to ensure it can deliver that for working people.”