Yvette Cooper has established a new unit to combat waste in the Home Office, modelled after Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
The 'Doge' division has already begun freezing contracts deemed to be a misuse of taxpayers' money.
The unit will scrutinise and oversee every penny of departmental spending, with a particular focus on limiting the use of external consultants.
Expensive away days at external venues are set to be banned under the new initiative, following criticism of a recent civil servant event held at an opulent central London ballroom.
Yvette Cooper has established a new unit to combat waste in the Home Office
PA
The Doge unit will be led by Home Office minister Lord Hanson and Damian McBride, a former key aide to Gordon Brown.
Weekly meetings will review every contract the department plans to approve, regardless of value.
This marks a significant change from previous policy, where only contracts over £5million required ministerial sign-off.
The unit held its first meeting last Wednesday, according to sources.
Lord Hanson has already demonstrated success in this area, having conducted two spending reviews that identified millions of pounds in savings for neighbourhood policing.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- Britain's 'woke waste' exposed as Doge UK founder shares 'staggering' taxpayer-funded projects: 'Funding their own demise!'
- Britain needs DOGE: How Elon Musk is cutting billions in waste including a Sesame Street play in Iraq - analysis
- Britain desperately needs a DOGE...and I know exactly where to start the cutting - Alex Story
Elon Musk has made several cuts since being appointed head of Doge in the US
REUTERS
The unit was established after Cooper discovered the department had allocated £3m over three years for digital graphics and filming from a Soho-based PR agency.
An additional £100,000 had been earmarked for leadership training from Deloitte.
Both contracts have been paused, with sources describing them as the 'last straw' that prompted the unit's creation.
The department plans to utilise existing government spaces across Whitehall instead of hiring external venues.
The unit is also looking to ban the use of external headhunters for departmental roles and crack down on end-of-year budget 'splurging'.
"We are living in fiscally straitened times. We are trying to drive much better planning and management," a source said.
The initiative comes amid growing pressure from the Treasury for Cabinet ministers to find departmental savings.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to see her fiscal headroom reduced ahead of next month's Budget, increasing the likelihood of public-sector cuts.
Labour MP Jake Richards, who sits on the Home Affairs select committee, welcomed the move.
He said: "It's right the Home Secretary is getting a grip so that more money can be directed towards the Government's plan for more police and secure borders."
